Team Chaotix: On the News
by Jaidyn Reiman
Summary: After the success of their previous mission, the Chaotix are hired to investigate the disappearance of a reporter from Future City. Its determined that the Babylon Rogues are behind it; but why? Sequel to Flaming Fury. Chaotix-Babylon Rivalry. EspioxWave, KnucklesxRouge, ShadowxTikal. 'T' just to be safe. COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note(s)**: Hey, hey, hey, looky here! Yes, I now finished the prologue, and it looks different, doesn't it? Well, despite what I put on my profile, it still looks more different than I anticipated. Oh well, read it anyway! P I managed to find quite a few grammatical errors in the original text. Believe it or not, I DID re-use some of the old lines. The grammatical errors were fixed in the version. Woah, I mustn't have been paying much attention last time--those were some pretty bad ones.

**Disclaimer**: Chaotix, Babylon, and anything else Sonic-related is copyright SEGA/Sonic Team. Hannah and Janelle (the chief of police--her name is mentioned at the beginning of the next chapter) are owned by ME.

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

**Team Chaotix: On the News**

_**Prologue**_

She glanced around at the area as she passed through, carrying a light brown-colored board at her side. It was empty and quiet. No one ever came back here. It was a nice place. It was her place.

She walked swiftly down the narrow alleyway. Despite the buildings around her, almost no one came through here. Not even criminals came by here, for they were afraid that someone from the buildings here would spot them.

However, she knew for a fact that no one used any of the rooms towards the alleyway. They were all completely vacant, and no one was willing to live in them. Of course, she purposely set it up that way. She planned it out so that she could continue coming here without anyone knowing.

All was quiet. Not even a whistle of the wind stirred. Perfect! She slipped her board towards the ground and underneath her feet. It hovered about a foot off the ground, and she balanced herself on it. A green beam of light lashed out behind it.

Suddenly, a rush of wind came behind her. The sudden intrusion of blazing winds after perfect calm startled her, and she slipped off of her board. Rolling along the ground, she had no time to move before being grabbed tightly by a powerful grasp.

She was unable to make out the figure, but clearly there were three in the near vicinity. She opened her mouth and tried to scream, but nothing came out. She felt a powerful jab to the head. The next thing she knew, blackness had already overcome her.

**_XXXXX_**

Futuristic squad cars lined the edges of the alleyway. Yellow tape blocked off all three entrances—the words "Crime Scene" written along them. A woman lifted the tape up and ducked into the alleyway. She was the chief of police, making her way through to survey the scene.

The alleyway itself was stuck in between two other alleys. It was more or less an intersection of alleys. Three buildings and three alleys surrounded this small intersection. The tips of them were rounded at this point, and angled out in two directions.

One of the buildings stood right in front. It was the length of both the alleyways next to it—a rather far distance, she was able to note from here. It was the main building a block-sized apartment complex, and probably expensive at that. It was at least seven stories high.

The other two buildings were part of the same complex, and were the same height. However, they were a lot larger. The exact length of each of the building was over double the front one, due to the rather unusual positioning. As with the first building, they were also rounded off at the front.

Both were triangular shaped, but unlike the first one, angle on them was larger than ninety degrees. They filled in the final shape of the block, creating a very unusual, three-way alleyway, which intersected right here at this point.

She glanced down at the untouched scene. Right at the center of the intersection, a board laid upside-down on the road. It was golden brown, approximately six inches in width, and about three feet long. It was about an inch thick.

She glanced over at another officer nearby—a female, anthro rabbit. The girl was a deep beige color, and only slightly taller than herself. She perked her ears up upon hearing her boss speak. "Is this her Gear?" The chief asked.

The girl jumped slightly in surprise, quickly turning around and noticing her there. She cleared her throat and approached. "Yes, this is it." She stated. Thinking of something else, she then added, "It's very unusual for…"

"Thanks." The chief interrupted, not caring about what else the girl had to say.

She turned back around and stood up, just in time to notice three figures coming this way. She snarled. _'Well, well, well, what do we have here?'_ She thought to herself.

**_XXXXX_**

Three figures stood at the corner of the street, glancing down at the unusual commotion going on in an alleyway about halfway down the block. A few futuristic squad cars were lined up around the edge, and traffic was completely locked out of this whole area all-together.

The leader looked down at his sheet, and knew it was the place. "Well, this is apparently the scene," he said. He took a quick glance back at his comrades. "Any last objections?" he asked.

The second member chuckled slightly. "You sure you're up to this, Vector?" The chameleon asked. "Really, we can turn back any time we want with no worries."

Vector looked surprised. "What's gotten into you, Espio? We signed up for this job, and we're going to finish it!"

The third member nodded quickly. Adding to Vector's statement, he said, "Yeah, after all, that's our policy! Dontcha' remember!" He sang.

A trickle of sweat ran down Espio's head. "Then why'd you ask our opinions about it?"

Vector grinned slyly. "Because I wanted to know who didn't want to go on with it, so I could know who would be absent!"

Vector then marched off, calling out as he rushed for the alleyway. "Come on, Charmy!"

_If you need help, we're on our way,_

Espio sighed and rushed after them. "I'm coming, I'm coming! I've come all this way—I'm not backing out now.

Vector approached the alley, but a guard stopped him. After showing off his papers, they were let in.

_Ready for adventure, nothing makes us stay,_

As he walked up, Vector noticed a tall, female cat walking toward them.

_Doing our best, everything goes our way!_

Suddenly a bad thought came into his mind. What if they failed? NO! He had a lot of money down on this mission, and he wasn't about to let it go. "I presume that you're the head honcho around here?" He asked.

_No case is too small, so long as we get our pay._

Vector held out his hand. Grinning slyly, he boldly proclaimed, "I'm Vector the Crocodile, and we're Team Chaotix!"

_Team Chaotix!_

_We never turn down work that pays,_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We'll solve your case in all our ways._

_Team Chaotix!_

_Working through any obstacles,_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We're ready when duty calls._

_When we're put to the test, Vector puts everything to rest,_

_As enemies arrive, we allow Espio to thrive,_

_Up in the sky, Charmy keeps us flying high,_

_Nothing gets in our way, or we toss it all away!_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We never turn down work that pays,_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We'll solve your case in all our ways._

_Team Chaotix!_

_Working through any obstacles,_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We're ready when duty calls._

_With our skills, we'll make it through,_

_As a team, we'll show you what we can do._

_Solving crime, that's our way,_

_So long as we get our pay!_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We never turn down work that pays,_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We'll solve your case in all our ways._

_Team Chaotix!_

_Working through any obstacles,_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We're ready when duty calls._

_We're ready for adventure,_

_Taking another venture,_

_Showing you what we can do!_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We never turn down work that pays,_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We'll solve your case in all our ways._

_Team Chaotix!_

_Working through any obstacles,_

_Team Chaotix!_

_We're ready when duty calls._

_C-H-A-O, T-I-X!_

_C-H-A-O, T-I-X!_

_Chaotix_

_Yeah, we're Team Chaotix!_


	2. Missing Persons

**Team Chaotix: On the News**

**_Chapter 2: Missing Persons_**

Acting calm and cool, she collected herself and headed toward the figures coming down the alleyway. If this was who she thought they were, she'd need all the strength she needed. What, did they think that she couldn't handle such a case!

The first figure was tall and bulky. His green and scaly skin showed clearly on his face. He had a long muzzle stretched out from his face, and a fat tail sleeking out from behind him. He also had red spikes sticking out along his tail, and on top of his head.

A linked, chain necklace of clearly fake gold hung around his neck. An unusual pair of headphones covered his ears. The irony of that is that they sent a group of fools to help her. Clearly, he was the leader, as he marched in front of the other two.

Just to the right of the leader, the second member of the agency walked professionally. His hands in his pockets at all times, he showed a, "I don't care what we do, so long as it gets done" look. His skin was purple, and also slightly scaly. He had special wristbands, and high-tech shoes. A yellow horn stuck out from his face.

The final member showed a different face, though. He revealed a more 'care-free' and 'childish' attitude. He flew along the left side of the lead member. He actually had fur—black and yellow, striped fur to be exact. Two antennae stuck out from his head.

All three of them wore black cloaks, covering up much of their bodies. Was this meant to show off a 'cool' nature, or something? The third one also had the addition of a helmet, though, and was the only one to wear clothing under his jacket.

The three approached her, and then stopped. The 'leader' of the group stepped one more step closer. "I presume that you're the person in charge around here?"

He grinned slyly, and held out his hand. "I'm Vector the Crocodile, and we're Team Chaotix."

She grabbed Vector's hand and shook, trying to hold back her frustrations over this meeting. "Janelle; Future City chief of police," she explained.

Janelle gritted her teeth. Well, at least that was over with…

_**XXXXX**_

Shaking… Shivering… Endless cold and despair… Tremors echoed through the entire building. She was afraid to open her eyes. Finally, she did. She was lying upon a cold floor. Her head ached in pain. She grabbed it with her hand and moaned, rubbing along the wound. A trickle of blood was on the floor, but it was tiny. Wait, where was she?

A loud noise revved nearby. A warm air came, but dissipated upon reaching the cool air ahead. She looked behind her into a corner, but saw nothing. At the same side of the room, but on the opposite corner, a door lay.

She looked back in front of her, and realized that the room was rectangular. Up ahead and to the right, opposite from the other door, was yet one more door. Other than her, four walls, and two doors, it was completely blank—the room was empty. Nothing but metal walls surrounded her, and no sound was heard except the faint noise of an engine nearby.

She stood up, but a sudden tremor knocked her off of her feet. She tried once more, this time spreading her arms out on either side of her and using her wings as balance. She managed to carefully edge forward and reach the door in front of her. She reached out for the handle with her right hand and turned. It didn't budge.

She sighed. _'It must be locked,'_ she thought.

She turned around and edged to the opposite side of the room. Again the tremors came, and again she used her wings as balance. She reached out for the handle, and… the door slid open.

Suddenly the noise from the engines got extremely loud. She glanced inside, and collapsed to her feet, crying out. It was an engine room, with no other way out.

_**XXXXX**_

Vector knelt along the ground and examined the board lying on the ground. He pulled out a pair of plastic gloves, the shape of his hand, and slipped them over his own gloves. "What is her name?" He asked without looking away.

Janelle, the feline chief of police of Future City, was standing just a couple feet away. "Her name is Hannah Swift. She started off as a reporter a few months ago, and is already really popular among the people," she explained. While stating this; however, she failed to mention her opinion on the matter—as she felt that Hannah was acting more like a superstar than a reporter. At least she did her job, though…

Vector carefully lifted up the board, not wanting to smudge any possible prints. He turned it over in his hands and examined it in detail. It mostly was a light brown color, with some gold. The board was rounded in the back, and was triangular in the front with a rounded tip.

The designs painted onto the top of the board resembled that of a feather, ironically. Lines etched down the board, and off to the sides toward the back, depicted five 'quills' along the feather. As they approached the back of the board, they narrowed along the outside, until they were down to the size of one.

Instead of going straight to the end, though, they rounded around a couple of golden-brown circles. There were two casings—a brunette, then orange, down to the golden-colored eye of the circle. The 'quills' around the edge didn't end right there, but instead circled completely around the circles and met at the way back of the board.

Just then he noticed it. Something was off on this. The board was a little dusty. Strangely, there was a faint mark along the eye on top of the board. It looked like… a large handprint! Vector, holding the board in his right hand, put his left hand on top of the mark. It was about the same size, but it obviously didn't match up exactly.

He stood up and handed the board to an officer nearby, making sure to point out the mark. He turned back towards the ground, and then noticed yet another thing. There was a mark the same shape as the board on the ground. Actually, there were two. One right where the board was, and another a few feet away.

As usual, they were faint. It had been a day since the disappearance, so some of the dust had faded. However, it was still noticeable on the ground. The first mark, though, was a little wider than the second. In fact, it was too wide for the board. Maybe… it had slid a bit?

As he pondered this, a voice called out to him. He looked back, and noticed Charmy and Espio down one of the alleyways. "Hey, Vector, check this out!" Charmy called out.

Vector stood up in surprise. Charmy wasn't known for finding stuff, but Espio was with him, so… well, it wouldn't hurt to take a look at it. He ran off toward them. Janelle, also curious, decided to follow.

**_XXXXX_**

Espio was standing near the wall, flicking a few particles of white dust between his thumb and his index finger. He sniffed it, but smelled nothing.

Just then Vector arrived. "So what's going on?" he asked.

Espio turned toward Vector and lifted up the dust between his fingers. "Take a look at this," he commented.

Vector examined it closely, but found nothing as to hint what it was. "What is it?" he finally asked.

"It was on the ground," Espio replied. He pointed up at the building above them. "Take a good look."

Vector examined the building wall. The building was the one that was right in front of them when they had first entered the alleyway. It was in the right alley, and along the wall, a faint scratch mark good be seen along the side of the wall.

Janelle walked into the alleyway and examined the dust Espio was holding. She nodded. "Yeah, that is glass marble. It's commonly used in the buildings in the city. While light and often transparent like glass, it's as hard as stone."

Vector nodded in reply. "And like glass, it can easily be scraped like metal. A piece of thin metal slides across it, and it will flake off."

Janelle looked at him in surprise—a confused look visible on her face. "What are you saying?" she asked.

Vector grinned slyly. "This kidnapping was done by Extreme Gear specialists. By the looks of it, they were in a pack of three."

Now it was Espio's turn to be stunned. "W-wait a second, you're not thinking of…"

Vector's grin widened. "That's exactly what I'm thinking."

_**XXXXX**_

A large, four-wheeled vehicle drove along the highway. Off to the right, a sign read 'Future City – 46 Miles.' The vehicle contained two passengers; a single, bulletproof windshield; no roof; and a cargo area in the back.

The vehicle was painted almost completely black. The frames for the wheels were mostly red, with a dark gray area, also. Some of the trimming was also red. The front tires were connected with a white bar that spanned the two tires. The bar was, in turn, attached to a metal covering on both tires.

The two figures in the vehicle were both anthros. The first, in the passenger's seat, was a female bat. Her fur was white, but her wings were purple. She was wearing a purple outfit with a pink, heart-shaped bra. She leaned along the door and rested her head along her arm, looking off into the grassy plains.

The other figure, in the driver's seat, was a black hedgehog with red stripes. He was sitting straight, driving with his left hand, but with his right hand by his side. He face was emotionless. He wore no clothing, but had rings over his wrists and ankles. His shoes were black in the back with red heels and trimming along the end of them. The rest of his shoes were white.

The bat finally pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and examined it. "Y'know, Shadow," she stated, "I can't help but feel that I should've rescheduled this when I learned about this new mission."

Shadow shook his head, but didn't turn away from the road. "Don't worry, Rouge, I took care of it for you," he said. "You're now going this Saturday for dinner."

Rouge looked up in surprise. "Wait, you rescheduled _for_ me?" she asked.

He nodded, avoiding a grin. "Yep, I took care of everything. I told him, and he had it rescheduled."

She blinked, and then glanced back at the note. "Well, it's awkward. I still don't even know who _he_ is."

Shadow hid a smile. "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."

He looked up ahead, and the lights grew brighter. The city was getting closer. "Looks like we're almost there." He said.

Rouge nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. First, though, I have a question for you."

Shadow waved it off. "Spill," he said.

"Well, I was just wondering… if you have that ability to teleport anywhere in the world, why didn't we use it? I mean, Chaos Control would have been a lot quicker than driving all the way up here." She explained.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Simple. I can't teleport that far with multiple people unless I have a Chaos Emerald with me. When we were in the forest, I warped back with quite a few people, but it wasn't nearly as far. My power isn't strong enough to go such a distance."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I was just a little curious, that's all."

He nodded. "That's perfectly fine—I would be surprised, too."

Now finished with conversations, they just sat back as the city quickly grew closer and closer, until finally they drove past the city limits and into the depths of the futuristic city

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Yes, yes, yes! I finally complete this. And now I can finish up Hannah's profile, too! I now I have the description of her board complete, which is the last thing needed to complete her profile.

As for her board--I couldn't give you a better description unless if I actually gave you a picture of it, so don't ask for anything better. If you ever want to try and draw it (which I don't mind if you do, but I doubt will ever occur), you'll have to guess. ;P

**Disclaimer**: Chaotix, Babylon, and Future City are all copyright SEGA/Sonic Team. Hannah and Janelle are owned by me. You can use them without permission if you want to, BUT DON'T CLAIM THEM AS YOUR OWN! I WILL hunt you down if you do! ;P If you use them, CREDIT ME. Alright? That's all I ask. Thank you.


	3. Problem Solvers

**Team Chaotix - On the News**

**_Chapter 3: Problem Solvers  
_**

It all made perfect sense. Obviously much of it was speculation here, but how else did one get anywhere?! It could easily have been them.

They charged through here, the first dashing passed and surprising the victim. The second jumping high into the air of the turbulence caused by the first, scratching across the side of the building. He then came back down and slammed the victims board into the ground, quickly picking her off the ground. The third one soared in last, simply rushing toward the others and following them out. The three got in and out so fast, that no one noticed a thing.

The first one was the one who rushed in and startled the victim. He also caused the turbulence for which the second one was able to jump off of. The second grabbed the victim, but also caused dust to float down onto the ground. The problem with their strategy was right here, for the third came through and blew the dust everywhere.

Vector could picture every piece of it into his mind, and even filled the roles of the three figures in. The green leader rode magnificently in at the front of the line. Next, the bulky, gray powerhouse of a bodyguard went flying in and captured the victim. The purple, female mechanic then came in last, giving all the necessary evidence to fit it together. The problem, though, was determining if they actually did it. Clearly, this would need to be proved with further evidence.

The crocodile detective walked back to the central area where the police were finishing gathering the unusually small amount of evidence. It was enough to do some examinations, though.

As Vector walked by, he noticed Espio leaning against a police car near to the area he just was. A little further down, Janelle was talking with her boss within the confines of her car—the doors shut tight.

"What's up?" Espio asked, approaching the crocodile.

Vector nodded. "I think I may know who it is, but…"

Espio looked up in surprise. "Wait, wait, wait, _whom_ are you referring to?" he asked, interrupting Vector's statement.

Vector scratched his head. "Oh, yeah, I'm referring to the _kidnapper_ of the victim. Well, in this case, kidnapp_ers_. I deduce that there were three birds—two males and one female—all riding Extreme Gear throughout this mission."

Espio raised an eyebrow. "Hold on a second, are you saying that…"

Vector nodded in reply, not allowing the chameleon to finish talking. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking," he stated. "If my hunch is correct, then they are…"

"What's going on, croc?" Janelle asked, approaching them and interrupting Vector's statement. Apparently now done talking with her boss, she then got out of her vehicle and noticed that Vector was done examining the scene. "If you've got any new info, you need to let me know, firsthand," she explained.

Vector sighed. He didn't want to have to explain it all again, but he really didn't have much of a choice. He opened his mouth to speak, but Espio cut in and interrupted him. Espio explained exactly what Vector had just said, and even down to the details that he had not said—that the Babylon Rogues had been last seen heading in this direction, and those were whom Vector thought were the felons behind this mysterious kidnapping.

While Espio was talking, the crocodile decided to take in the look of this cat-girl he had to contend with. Janelle was an interesting woman, but certainly not enough to suffer this burden. She was a good head taller than Espio, but still a lot shorter than Vector himself. She wore a white uniform and no headwear. The uniform was undoubtedly a police uniform, as it did contain a badge like ordinary Federation dress codes and the others wore them, too, but the coloring was awkward.

Janelle was, overall, rather masculine in appearance. At least she _sounded_ female, though. The hair around her head was cut short and edged evenly all around. Her hair was a striped a butterscotch-orange color with a darker brown.

The female cat's hair was neatly brushed and straightened. Her clothes were perfectly fit and showed no signs of disturbance. Her uniform looked like and ordinary white outfit, but the notable things that determined her position consisted of the badge on her left shirt pocket, and also of the gun slipped into her left pocket. Vector made careful note of this aspect.

Espio finished his explanation, and Janelle turned to Vector, interrupting his examination. He didn't mind, though, as there really wasn't much else to look at without being blamed for being a pervert.

"Interesting situation you got, here," Janelle proclaimed. "Perhaps you will be helpful after all. The problem, though, is that we still need to prove it. We also have no idea of a possible motive even if they did do it."

Vector nodded. "Of course, I myself had stated that we would need to find some more evidence, first. This is only a theory that can be determined by it."

Janelle sighed, but nodded in agreement. "Regrettably, I agree with you. I'll return to headquarters and try and find some more leads. Meanwhile, though, you guys may be able to take some possible leads we already have." The cat pulled out a small disc in a case and handed it to Vector. "This contains some audio recordings of Hannah's activities over the last week," she explained."

Adding further details, she continued. "A couple days ago, she started getting interested in a hedgehog in the northern part of the city whom was playing vigilante. Quite ironically, she disappeared the same night. Perhaps you may be able to uncover something by finding and talking with this hedgehog."

Espio raised an eyebrow, quickly butting in. "That revelation doesn't give me a good impression. We had just got done with a case for GUN the day before—admittedly, without their consent—and this is the reason why they decided to put us into this position. Our case also involved a hedgehog, and quite a dangerous one, at that. We managed to stop him, but he managed to escape and no one has seen him, since. I certainly hope that he doesn't have anything to do with this."

Janelle opened her eyes wide open. "Well, thanks for sharing that revelation. I'll try and look into that, as well. I don't think they are related, though, as yours sounds as if he was a crook. This guy seemed to have good motives, but was still doing something he wasn't supposed to. He may have just been trying to set someone up, though. This case has now gotten a whole lot more interesting, though."

Vector nodded in reply to her statement. He completely and totally agreed with this, even if they didn't share a common courtesy with one another. "It sure has," he boldly stated.

**_XXXXX_**

It was no use crying. Crying was for children. She would've never thought that she'd ever cry again, yet now she found herself shedding tears all over the floor and also her outfit. It may have been a hopeless situation, but Hannah kept telling herself that crying would only make it worse.

After a little while, she finally stopped. It wasn't that she forced herself to stop, but more like simply running out of tears. Of course that was impossible, though, so she must've someone found the urge inside her to say no.

And to think that it all was going so well, too. She had sought long and hard to become a reporter. The thrill and excitement of finally being able to explain away the latest major updates about the world around them, and yet in her own words, simply made it all more worthwhile. Finally, she was able to get her degree at the United University in Westopolis.

During her last year, the alien invasion had begun and everyone was evacuated from the city. Much to her own surprising astonishment, her parents ACTUALLY cared enough to check up on her to make sure she was all right. Everyone from both Central City and Westopolis were evacuated into the eastern mountains, into a half-hidden city known as 'Night Babylon.'

Despite its tragic destruction merely a year ago, Westopolis—along with Central City—were rebuilt, and everything was restored to order. The Japanese government—centralized in Future City and its surrounding areas—gave great aid to help the United Federation restore two of its largest cities.

She finished her time at the university seven months and twelve days ago, to be exact. After only two months of job searching, she managed to get her first position in her new career. Much to her surprise, it came straight from the Future City News Network! Such a stunning achievement for all her hard work, she had told herself.

She worked hard to get the best stories before anyone else and never failed to take drastic measures to assure her success. Swift the Eagle became her running title as she drove herself to victory and gained popularity among the masses, even in the short amount of time that she had been at the network.

In her spare time she also enjoyed riding on her Extreme Gear, developed by her family's company—Swift Enterprises. The company was devoted to creating high-quality Extreme Gear and had been around for a few generations. In the past the gear created was obviously lesser technology, but it all got better as new developments were made.

Hannah also had a liking for music, too. She knew she was never really good at singing, but she still liked listening to it. Mostly the darker songs are what she enjoyed, though she never knew why. Heck, there were quite a few things she didn't even know about herself. For one thing, why did she keep that old whip hidden in her closet? It was useless to her, and yet… oh yes, of course, she kept it because she enjoyed practicing with it while riding her gear, but still…

Most recently, she had managed to find a maroon-colored hedgehog—and a mighty strange-looking hedgehog, at, having quills that more so resembled dreadlocks than anything else—in the northern slums of the city. This hedgehog decided to play a little vigilante, and being the good girl that she was, Hannah decided it best to report these acts of misconduct. This was only two days prior that it had occurred.

Suddenly something occurred to her. Could this strange endeavor have been caused by her revelations? Perhaps either the hedgehog was the one who got her in trouble himself, or maybe it was someone else… what if the hedgehog had run into this himself, and then her reporting the incident got her in trouble from the same person?

Wow, such deduction was actually quite proper for her. She had learned a bit in that area, but she mostly studied in finding and reporting news, but only a small amount in reasoning and deduction. Surely she could look into this later, but then again, she'd need to get out of this situation, first…

Wait, hold on. A… a noise! Hey, the door handle on the locked door was opening!

Hannah, quite startled, quickly jumped to her feet and watched as the door swung open. A female bird with purple hair and green eyes walked into the room. "Hannah Swift, I presume?" she said, a sly grin on her face.

**_XXXXX_**

After having slept in a fancy hotel overnight, all paid for by GUN, the three Chaotix detectives got up bright and early and did some studying throughout the day to try and figure out what to do next. Finally tracing what they needed down to a small slum area where this 'hedgehog' had supposedly appeared, they began exploring the area throughout the rest of the day. With no luck, they returned back to the hotel for a noon break.

Vector sat down in a comfy chair in the corner and pulled his CD player and headphones out of his luggage bag. Slipping in a CD he had, he began listening to the contents. Questioned by Espio about it, the crocodile said that he was listening to the CD that Janelle had given him the night before. Charmy sprawled out on the couch against the window at the west wall of the room. Espio simply sat at the edge of the bed he picked out for himself, which lay directly to the left and a little ways forward of the couch Charmy sat on.

The room was sort of L-shaped. The area Espio and Charmy were was in the back corner of the room. The room contained two television sets--one a little ways up the hall leading out to the door, and one in the back area. The TV in the back was up against the left wall. Vector sat on the chair in the corner, and a second sofa sat up against the wall there. To the left of that sofa was a door leading out onto the back balcony. A small nightstand stood between a king-sized bed, which happened to be Vector's bed, along with the smaller full-sized bed that Espio sat on.

Passed the king was a large rack to hang clothes, coats, and other things. Three black cloaks hung from it, which Vector had wanted them to wear for show. Truly, though, he had absolutely no interest in such things. Over to the right side of the hallway was a small kitchen and sink area, with a door leading into a restroom. The door leading out of the room was at the end of the hallway.

Vector just sat on the corner sofa and listened... and listened... and listened... Obviously he wasn't listening to anything surrounding him, as he kept on nodding his head. However, Espio did notice something else wrong with this. Who nodded one's head when listening to a recording?

Vector's eyes were shut and a pair of ear buds was stuck in his ears. Without the ability to hear or see, Espio had no trouble sneaking up on Vector—not even having to be invisible. The crocodile didn't notice, and wasn't even paying attention, so Espio was able to easily get up next to the sofa Vector was sitting on. He tried to lean in and hear what the crocodile was listening to, when suddenly a voice spoke up from the other end of the room.

"Whatcha' doing, Espio?" Charmy asked, rather clumsily.

A second later, the bee felt a knife to his throat. Espio stood broadly, holding the tip of a throwing knife up against Charmy's neck. Quietly, Espio whispered to the bee, assuring that he wouldn't speak again. "Raise your voice one more time, and you're going to get it," the chameleon threatened. Charmy did not speak another word the rest of the night.

**_XXXXX_**

At the Metal City High School, deep within the main industrial area in central Future City, a fifteen-year-old human girl stepped up into the school bus that would take her home. It was rather awkward living in a city filled mostly with anthros, but she was content with it. The fact that she was still able to make friends, even here, was truly no surprise to her, though. Well, she was one of the most popular girls in school, of course. Mainly, this was due to the fact that she is one of the smartest, prettiest, and of course, richest students in the entire school.

She proudly marched to the ultimate seat that any bus had to offer—the back. Everyone here was either greatly envious of her father's success, or greatly jealous of the fact. The envious ones stared in utter astonishment by her presence. Likewise, the jealous ones merely glared at her in anger. She cared not whether they loved or hated her, though. Why, so long that she was the center of attention, it mattered not.

Spike, a smoke-gray colored wolf and her own self-proclaimed bodyguard, greeted her at the back. "Your seat, Madame," he proclaimed.

She nodded and sat down in the center of the back seat. Spike sat down next to her on the left, glaring at her awkwardly. It was clearly obvious that the only reason he treated her this way was that he liked her, but regardless, she enjoyed every minute of it.

As she turned up, a familiar face stepped up into the bus. This one was actually a male human, age sixteen. She waved at him. "Hey, Dick," she called out to her boyfriend.

Dick glanced to the back and found everyone in their usual places. He nodded and waved back, then walked down the aisle toward them. "What's up, Melanie?" he asked.

Melanie smiled. "Hey, Dick, where have you been?" she asked. "You've been gone the last few days."

Dick, her totally hot and awesome boyfriend, sat down next to her and explained his absence. Both Melanie and Spike listened intently. Dick had brown hair, light brown skin, and green eyes. He was six feet and four inches tall, and weighed one hundred eight-two pounds.

When he finished, Spike glanced up contently, crossing his arms. "Sounds like you had it rough," the wolf commented.

Dick wrapped his arms around the back of his head and leaned into his seat. "Yeah, but I managed to pull through all right. I wouldn't let those guys take me down without a fight. It wasn't too bad, actually, but I still had to stay home the last couple days while my injuries mended."

Melanie chuckled slightly. "Heh, you should avoid picking fights with thugs. If you did that, then you wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt so often."

Dick seemed a little upset about this. "Hey, I wouldn't have went back at them if THEY hadn't went after me, first," he retorted.

Melanie was about to speak up again, but Spike stopped her. "I think that this is your stop, Mel," he proclaimed.

Melanie glanced out the window and noticed her dad's place at the upcoming corner. She nodded in reply. "I guess it is," she stated.

"Do you need me to escort you home?" Spike asked.

Melanie shook her head. "Nah, I can make it okay."

Spike nodded. "Alright, then, but you be careful out there," he stated.

Melanie nodded in reply, then stood up and started walked to the front. However, before stepping off the bus, she turned back. "I'll see you later, Dick," she called out. Afterwards, Melanie stepped off the bus and it drove away.

**_XXXXX_**

The three detectives got off the bus and walked north along the sidewalk. Well, two of them walked, at least. The third hovered in mid-air the entire time.

It was quite clear to everyone that Espio did not like this place. Obviously it should be expected that any major city would have a slums area, yet this was ridiculous! Future City was always promoted as the cleanest city that the world had to offer. However, when one looked at this area of town, it looked nothing like it should.

Espio growled. "I don't like this one bit," he said. "Vector, are you sure that this is the right area?"

The crocodile nodded. "Yes, the hedgehog was first seen just a couple blocks north of here. It'd be best that we walk that way in case if he lives nearby," he proclaimed.

Charmy sighed. "Awe, but we've been wandering around here for hours!"

Espio glanced at the bee hovering between himself and Vector. "You do realize that we only just got here, right?"

Charmy nodded. "Well, duh, of course I knew that! However, we've been wandering around town all day!"

Now Vector started getting angry. "Of course we're supposed to be out and about. We need to find some more information before everything will work out! As such, I think that we'd best find that hedgehog. Maybe he'd know something about this situation."

They paused for a moment as they walked along and came to an intersection. They crossed the street and continued on passed, still heading north.

Espio sighed. "You know, I would like to take a break. Perhaps we can stop somewhere."

Vector nodded. "Okay, I guess so, but let's keep moving until we find something."

Charmy laughed. "All right, dinner time!" he called out.

Vector slapped his forehead, but kept his mouth shut. I suppose they'd best get something to eat while they were already out.

With not much else to talk about, everyone simply walked along. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, though. A couple people walked along on the opposite side of the street, a human girl got off a school bus and walked east, and a couple of guys walked across the street in front of them to the south, then turned right out of site.

They reached the next intersection without finding a thing. Just then, though, Charmy had to point a small bar and grill a few doors down on their right. Vector reluctantly let them go, as he had promised to stop somewhere, anyway.

The three marched into the bar, but a hedgehog quickly ran into them as he was heading outside. He shook his head in surprise and apologized, then walked outside.

Espio stared at him for a second before following the other two inside. "You know, that hedgehog reminded me of someone…" he said to Vector, quietly.

Vector just shook it off. "Nah, it couldn't have been. You're just imagining things," he told the chameleon.

They found a seat and sat down. Vector ordered some food for them and a few sodas, and then they started to chat about the case as they waited to be served.

**_XXXXX_**

Her father's casino was just down the street on the right side, the same side that she currently was on. This part of town was the bad area, but this section bordered the main part of the city. Most thugs would hang out in this area and not cross into Metal City. Metal City actually wasn't a real city, though. It was simply the more industrialized area of Future City, which spanned the gap between the main city and the northern slums.

She knew that there would be no problem reaching home, so Melanie simply walked on down the sidewalk, trying to avoid attracting attention. Regardless, she still kept an eye on her surroundings. She didn't really want to run into any trouble.

Luckily, everything was normal. Three girls—a fox, a bird, and a human—walked along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street, a few cars drove passed, and a hedgehog exited a bar to her right. Something did look suspicious up ahead, though. Just passed the next intersection, standing up against the wall of the corner building, three figures overlooked her father's casino across from them.

The first was a large, black and red battle android. It looked rather awkward and suspicious in a place like this. Next, to its right, a white polar bear stood, a green scarf crossed around its neck and wearing brown gloves. Passed him, there was a green duck.

This strange occurrence overtly surprised her. She had never seen such people around here before, and they apparently were content on carefully watching the casino. Well, she'd see to…

A hand tightly latched around Melanie's right wrist. She tried to wrestle it free, but it remained tightly grasped around her arm. She watched as the three figures she had just been examining disappeared around the corner, leaving her helpless as she remained in danger.

"Well, well, well, look at what we got here," her captor commented.

"Yeah, another rich snob for us to take care of," a different one added.

Melanie turned her head around to the best of her ability. Ultimately, she found something she did not want to see. A bulking ape held a tight grip on her arm. His companion was unusually thin for a thug, but it was no surprise to her by his size and skinniness that it was, in fact, a viper.

She just stared at them, deep fear quickly overcoming all other emotions. She didn't want to say anything. In fact, she COULDN'T say anything. Nothing ever warranted such an occurrence. She never expected such an occurrence, never dreamed it would ever happen to her. How could it, though? For her, everything was perfect! She had everything! Now, though, she saw that nothing else could be any further from the truth.

"What ya' doin', little girl?" the viper asked. As he asked this, he walked around the ape to its right, in order examine her face-to-face. Concluding his statement, he then said, "Didn't you know how dangerous it is to walk around out in the open in this part of town?"

Despite the questioning of these two… freaks… Melanie refused to say a word. Finally, the viper got fed up with all this nonsense. "Well, then, considering the fact that you don't want to answer a simple question, it seems that you've given up already, yes?" He turned to his big friend and nodded. "Alright, Bruce, show 'er what you're made of. Undoubtedly, a snob like this must be packing a pretty penny."

Bruce nodded. "Okay, Jack," he commented.

Following his orders, the big ape, apparently named 'Bruce,' lifted Melanie off of the ground by her right arm. She cried out, but no one listened. The ape poked around her body, but found nothing. That was no surprise, though, as she had nothing on her. Wait, hold on, the ape pulled something out of her pocket… no, it couldn't be! She had that in her pocket the whole time?!

Jack examined the small card and smiled. "Ah, of course, a little snot like this don't need no cash," he commented. "They'll come packed straight out with their very own credit cards. Good work, Bruce, my man…"

The ape quickly smacked Jack across the head, and quite hard, too. Jack, realizing his mistake, corrected his statement. "Er, heh, sorry, buddy. Good work, Bruce, my ape, heh…"

Jack shook his head and grabbed the credit card. "Alright, ditch her and let's get out of here, we got what we came for."

Bruce slammed Melanie into the wall of the building right next to them, causing her to fall down to the ground. The two thugs turned around and started to run off in the opposite direction. Suddenly, though, Melanie noticed that same maroon hedgehog she had seen a few minutes before.

The hedgehog walked out in front of them and examined the two thoroughly. Finally, content with his examination, he spoke up. "Ahem, excuse me, but you guys seem to have something that isn't yours."

Jack grinned, slyly. He pulled a gun out of a holster hanging from his belt and aimed it at the echidna. "Oh, yeah? Well, what are you going to do about it?"

The hedgehog suddenly slipped a sword out of its sheath. He quickly slashed through the weapon in Jack's hand before the snake had a chance to fire. The sword cut through the hard metal like butter. Jack backed away, a little surprised about this sudden turn of events.

The hedgehog then turned to Bruce. The ape slammed his fists into the ground, but the hedgehog was too fast for him. He took a quick jab at the ape's arm to show that he meant business. It was only a stab, and very little blood was shed from the attack, but it burned intensely under his skin. The ape cried out in pain and backed away from him.

Jack the Viper tried to escape, but the hedgehog cut him off and aimed the sword at his neck. "Give me the item you stole from her," he stated.

Jack gladly handed over the credit card, and then ran off with Bruce in order to escape a worse punishment.

Melanie pulled herself off of the ground and looked upon her rescuer. Actually, now that she saw him closer, he didn't look nearly as much as a hedgehog that she had originally thought. Similar, yes, but his quills were thinner, and his hands were irregularly shaped. He only had a thumb and a large fist—no individual fingers, though.

The 'hedgehog,' if that's what it really was, handed her the card back. "Here, I do believe that this is yours," he said.

Melanie smiled. "Thank you," she said.

The hedgehog nodded, and then started to turn away. However, curiosity overtook Melanie's mind. "W… wait," she called out, chasing after him.

He turned back around and looked at her, surprised. "You know, I didn't actually need that thing, anyway. Why'd you go through all that trouble to get it back for me?" Melanie asked.

"Because it was the right thing to do," he said.

Melanie approached him and examined him a little closer. Finally, she couldn't help herself. "W… what's your name?" she asked.

The hedgehog hesitated, but finally offered it over. "Uh… Flame. The name's Flame," he said.

"I… I'm Melanie," she said. "Melanie P… Peters." Okay, so she lied there. Well, she said most of her name, at least. What was wrong with her saying her last name, though? She didn't know, but she simply decided against it.

Flame nodded and smiled. "Alright, then, Melanie," he proclaimed. "It was nice to meet you."

She nodded in reply. "Yes, of course. It was nice meeting you, too."

"Yo, Flame, I could use your help here," a voice called out.

Flame spun around and saw who was speaking. He gritted his teeth. _'Ah, man, not now…'_ he thought to himself.

"You've got to go, don't you?" Melanie asked.

Flame nodded. "Yes, I do," he answered, not turning around.

Melanie nodded. "Well, thanks again for helping me," she proclaimed.

Flame spun around and looked at her, again. "Yes, of course, you're welcome."

Melanie sighed. "Uh, do you think that you could meet me here again tomorrow?" she asked.

Flame smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

"Yo' Flame, do you want this job or not?"

Flame sighed and turned back again. "I'll be there in a little bit!" he called out.

"Go on," Melanie stated. "I need to get home, anyway. My dad will get mad at me if I don't go now."

Flame nodded. He quickly ran off, entering the same building he had come out of earlier. Melanie smiled and returned home, feeling better about this whole situation. As she entered the building, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the same three figures again. They watched her actions, intently. Afraid, she rushed through the large glass doors at the front of the building and out of site.

**_XXXXX_**

The two figures walked along the sidewalk of the roads seemingly made of glass. It really was a very thing, yet strong marble roadway. They consisted of a female bat, and a black hedgehog.

The female examined her surroundings intently, clearly interesting in the makeover of this place. She took in a scent of the fresh air. "Ah, Future City. The most advanced city of the modern world."

She paused in her thoughts for a moment, and then continued. "About one hundred sixty-seven years ago, if my memory serves me correctly, an advanced civilization of anthros founded this city, here, and befriended the humans that bordered their lands. Forming an alliance with one another, they created the United Federation, though they still kept the names of their own countries separate."

The black one chuckled slightly. "You're quite knowledged, Rouge. Where did you learn all this, anyway?" he asked.

Rouge laughed. "Heh, I studied a lot about the world when I was still thieving. However, then one day I got cocky and GUN managed to capture me. In exchanged for my services to them, they were willing to drop the charges. I still thieved for a while, but then I realized that it wasn't really worth it, anyway," she explained.

The bat turned back to the hedgehog again. "What about you, Shadow? How do you know so much, and why did you even join GUN in the first place?"

Now Shadow stopped in his tracks. He turned back to Rouge and sighed. "You ought to know the answer to that last question. As far as the other one, goes, I was taught a lot about Earth on the Ark. Maria and I would often study long hours about the planet we so wished to see, and the more we learned the more fascinated it had become. Professor Gerald himself was thinking about taking us down for a while, despite Maria's sickness, just to show us about the world. However, that fateful day came all too soon…"

The black hedgehog lowered his head, and Rouge quickly realized what he meant. "I'm sorry…" she said, feeling bad about ruining a perfectly good evening.

Shadow shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault; it's all in the past. Nothing can be done, so let's just excuse this moment and continue on with our mission."

Rouge nodded. "Yes, of course," she replied.

They continued walking again, but started discussing on ideas on where their targets would be hiding, and what they were up to. After deciding on a plan, Rouge decided to bring up the mysterious invitation that she found in her room the other day. Shadow just passed it off, though, and they finally headed deeper into the city.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: Ugh, it's been a while... too long, in fact. Sorry about the extensive delay, guys, but I'm trying to get back on track, now. Now wasn't that worth the wait, though? Extremely long chapter, and I got yet another two planned--one of which is already in-progress. I anticipate about eight chapters, this time, one more than what Flaming Fury got. It might pull out with only seven, though. Not only will mysteries be solved, though, but new characters will appear, alliances will be made, and a few special couples will even get a little romance thrown into the deal. No fan-characters will be included in any of these romances, though, so do not worry (but their will be a number of characters made--most of them only one-time appearances). That ought to settle you guys for now. I'll try and get the next chapter up by the weekend. 


	4. Old Acquaintances

**Team Chaotix – On the News**

**_Chapter 4 – Old Acquaintances_**

Hannah stood broadly as the girl entered the room. The comment surprised her, but she would not be put down. "You should already know the answer to that question," she proclaimed, boldly.

The girl sighed, stating the least likely thing that Hannah expected to come out of her mouth. "I'm sorry that you had to be put through this," she stated. "It wasn't my idea, though, so please don't take it out on me."

Hannah paused in her thoughts. She seemed nice and all, but it could just be a ploy. Clearly, though, this girl was younger than her—she looked about eighteen years old. "Yes, my name is Hannah Swift," she stated.

The girl raised her eyebrow. "Alright, then, Hannah," she proclaimed. "Truthfully, I'd love to get you out of here, but I can't. I knew that something like this was never a good idea in the first place, but I have to follow orders. Regardless, I came in here to say that our leader wants to meet with you. I shall escort you to him, shortly."

The eagle sighed and placed her left hand on her hip. "Well, alright, then, I'll trust you… for the moment. I still would like to know something first, though. What happened to my Gear?"

The 'kidnapper,' or perhaps the 'kidnapper's lackey,' whatever worked best (though swallow seemed to work best), chuckled slightly. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm keeping it under my care. It is a pretty nice board, though. Nothing compared to my handiwork, but it isn't so bad. Where'd you get such a fine piece of equipment?" she asked.

"My father made it for me," she explained.

The swallow nodded, clearly not at all surprised by this. "Yeah, figures as much. Your father's knowledged in Extreme Gear?" she asked.

Hannah sighed. "I suppose you could say that," she said, solemnly.

The swallow noticed this remark, but tried her best to ignore it. She glanced at something on her wrist and looked back up. "Sorry, but our time is up for this little chat. We gotta' get back up there, now. My 'boss' is waiting for us."

Hannah nodded, feeling a little better about the situation. "Thanks for your kindness to me," she proclaimed. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Alright, let's go. First, though, what's your name?"

The girl smiled, slyly. "The name's Wave. Wave the Swallow," she stated.

Hannah nodded. Wave… maybe she should remember that name. Wave seemed like an understanding person. She nodded. "Alright, thanks, Wave. Now, let's get going."

Wave nodded. She went back to the door and peeked her head out. "Storm, get your lazy butt over here!" she yelled out.

Hannah shuddered as a large, bulky albatross rushed to the door. His eyes were the most unusual aspect of him. They… they scared her to death. Wave looked back at her, again. "Sorry, Hannah, but rules are rules. Storm will escort you to Jet's room. Don't worry about him hurting you. I'll kick his ass if he does, and I'll also cut his portion off of this next payment in half."

Storm shuddered at the thought. He took a tight hold on Hannah's arm, so as much that she could not get away, but not strong enough to hurt her. They walked out into the bridge, and then left through a door that led into a staircase.

With Hannah gone, Wave quickly called up Jet, a deep grin returning to her face. "Alright, Jet, you're turn. She trusts me fully, now," Wave proclaimed.

She snickered. That idiot actually fell for it. Truly, this will be one amazing thing. Heh, she didn't even half to lie, either, as she was opposed to the whole thing. Now that they were in, though, there was no turning back—and the payment was supposed to be high.

**_XXXXX_**

Knuckles fiddled with the piece of paper in his hand. What in the world was he supposed to do with this?! It was an invitation to a dinner, but when he went there yesterday, he came to find out that it had been rescheduled due to time constraints. Now who would want to go out with him, yet have to reschedule the meeting to a later date—without even telling him!

Clearly it had to have been something urgent. He had only received the note the day before he was supposed to meet this mystery person. It was all just too confusing…

"What's wrong, Knuckles?" a familiar voice stated.

The echidna looked up to see another echidna standing above him. Tikal, the only echidna alive other then him—er, well, actually that wasn't the case, as he had recently learned—stood above him, curiosity in her eyes.

Knuckles shook his head in dismay. "Nothing you'd ever understand," he stated.

Tikal sat down next to him and smiled. "Try me," she proclaimed, slyly.

Knuckles looked up at her in surprise. "You're starting to learn modern phrases?" he asked.

Tikal laughed. "Hey, what else am I supposed to do? I can't just stay up here all the time, away from the civilization below. Eventually, I should probably get myself some more modern clothing, too. I just… feel attached to these garments."

Now Knuckles laughed. "Heh, I guess you're right."

The female echidna nodded. "Now, what were you about to explain to me," she said.

Knuckles wanted to slap his hand across his forehead. She wouldn't let go of it! "Okay, alright, I suppose I'll have to tell you." He turned to stare her in the eyes. "You'd better not tell a soul, though."

Tikal smiled. "Of course not," she said.

"Good," Knuckles proclaimed. He paused for a minute, and then sighed. "The other day, Shadow—you probably won't know him, but to explain it briefly, he's a powerful hedgehog that was created by a leading scientist years ago. Anyway, Shadow handed me an invitation from someone, to have dinner with this person at a restaurant at the edge of Central City."

Knuckles stopped for a minute, then continued again. "I went to go there yesterday, though, but, apparently 'this person' had rescheduled it until next week. The problem is that I don't know who this person is, nor do I wish to stay in a public place for an extended period of time. I don't want to upset the person whom invited me in the first place, though, and I am curious as to whom it is."

The red echidna sighed. That was the fastest he had ever spoken before, but he managed to get it off his mind, now. Maybe it was best to tell someone your thoughts, just to get it out.

Tikal thought over the situation. "You know, I think you may be more afraid of the fact that a girl has an interest in you, than meeting in a public place. You're like that; I've witnessed this countless times. I think that you should simply try and get out some more. Don't worry about the Master Emerald, Chaos and I will take care of it for you."

Knuckles nodded, but still didn't like the idea of being seen in public. After a little thinking, though, he managed to find an excuse. He turned back to Tikal, trying to hide his relief. "I like your thinking, but where would I go to do this?"

The female echidna smiled again. She stood up and walked forward a little bit. A large forest opened out behind them, while they had been sitting in a large opening. Tikal walked up to the edge of the floating island and looked down into the distance. Knuckles, curiously, stood up and followed her. Tikal pointed to a city that the island was approaching.

Through the clouds, and through the height of the atmosphere between the island and the land far below, a bright city peeked out into the distance. The city seemed to be made of glass, and contained highly advanced technology. "What's that?" Tikal asked.

Knuckles glanced down at it. "That's Future City, I believe," he stated.

Tikal glanced at Knuckles and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you could try going there. I'm sure you could find something," she stated.

Knuckles, regrettably, knew he had no choice. "Alright, then, I suppose I'll just have to go down there and try for myself."

The echidna backed away from the edge a few feet. Tikal stepped back a bit as well. She watched him as he ran forward and jumped. He dived down head first until catching an updraft. Catching the wind in his dreadlocks, Knuckles floated safely down to the ground and toward the city.

Tikal smiled. "Good luck, Knuckles," she said, quietly.

**_XXXXX_**

The echidna quickly rushed into the building, but suddenly stopped. _'Wait, them?! What are they doing here?'_ he thought to himself.

No words uttered from his mouth. He couldn't stay here! He couldn't let them see him. He looked around for a place to go, but a voice called out from the back. "Yo' Flame, get back here. If you want this job, you'd better listen to what I have to say!"

Flame gritted his teeth. He nodded and rushed into the back.

The chameleon sitting at the table heard the yell—actually, they all did, but he's the only one who noticed—and stared at the echidna as it rushed into the back room. He narrowed his eyes and examined him. It was the hedgehog he saw earlier, but now he managed to get a closer look. _'Wait, I know who that is!'_ he told himself. _'It's that echidna we saw the other day.'_

Espio nudged the crocodile next to him with his hand. "Vector, I think we've found who we were looking for, and it isn't a hedgehog after all," he stated.

The crocodile stared down at him. "What are you saying?!"

Espio motioned toward a back door, and the hedgehog from earlier came out. Vector recognized him this time, though. He stared at him, blankly. The echidna backed up, realizing he'd been found out, but Vector didn't let him get away. He jumped to his feet. "Hey, wait a second," the crocodile called out.

The echidna sighed and stepped out. "Yeah, I guess you caught me. I didn't want anyone to recognize me, but then I see you here. I guess I may as well explain what happened, huh?"

Vector shook his head. "No, actually, don't worry about it. Actually, I wanted to ask a couple questions. You seem to fit the description of someone I'm looking for. Speaking of which, though, you never did tell us your…"

The echidna interrupted him. "Name?" he asked, guessing exactly what the crocodile was about to ask. "You can call me Flame."

Flame held out his hand, and Vector grabbed and shook it—nodding his head. "Well, then, Flame, nice to finally get a formal introduction. Now, could you sit down with us and allow us to ask a few questions? It shouldn't take long," the crocodile stated.

Flame sighed. "I guess so. I'll tell you everything I know." The echidna moved to sit down, then thought of something. "Wait a second, is this related to what happened the other day?"

Vector shook his head. "No, no, no, as I said, don't worry—"

"Actually, Vector, I think he's referring to what happened right before this 'Hannah' got kidnapped," Espio explained. He turned to Flame. "This is what you are referring to, right?"

Flame nodded. "Exactly!" he proclaimed. "I was trying to help someone, but then that woman found out and starting bashing me on the air. I was only—"

Vector held his hand up. "No, no, don't worry about that. We aren't looking into that. What we are looking into, though, is exactly what was it that you did to get her onto it."

Flame sighed again. "I suppose I'll have to explain myself, but I do want to know one thing first, if you don't mind me asking."

Vector nodded his head in approval. "Go on," he stated.

Flame took a deep breath. "Well, I just wanted to know one thing. Why are you guys asking about this, anyway? I mean, I don't see any purpose to it."

Espio sighed. "You know about the reporter whom was antagonizing you, right?" he asked. Without waiting for a reply, the chameleon finished his statement. "She was kidnapped the day after."

The maroon echidna stared blankly at the others. "Wha—?! Why did this occur? What happened?"

Vector shook his head. "We have no idea exactly what happened at this point, but that's what we are trying to find out. We think that whoever did this may have done it due to her reporting over what you had done, and it was something that happened there may have been caused them—whoever it was—to do this. Will you help us out?"

Flame nodded. "Yes, of course. I'll tell you everything I know," he proclaimed.

Vector smiled. "Thanks a lot, this should aid us greatly in our mission."

Vector, Espio, and Flame sat down and talked over the situation. Flame answered every question that he could, and then the Chaotix left him to do his job once they were done. Charmy, whom had been sitting there playing his game the whole time while the others were talking, was ignorant when forced to have to get back up again.

**_XXXXX_**

A small little green duck leaned up against the side of a building. He simply sat there and stared at a building across from him. He sighed and starting kicking his foot up against the wall behind him. This was quite a boring job.

He had joined GUN along with his buddy a few years ago. They had joined for excitement and what had they gotten? Boring assignments like this. What was that about?! Where was all the excitement in that?!

Rouge comes in and joins GUN a little over a year ago, and yet she gets an exciting job in her opening try—and she was a thief! Rouge was a thief, and yet they trusted her to such a mission shortly after joining?! Sure, she was a pretty good spy, yet they had been in there for two years already and never once had anything special!

Oh, what he wouldn't give for a little excitement. Actually, they had a chance to do something, earlier, but that bear he called a 'friend' didn't want to get involved. What importance was this guy, anyway? A rich snob, perhaps, but he posed no other purposes.

The duck stood up straight for a bit and stretched out his arms. He let out a big yawn, then finished. Well, might as well make the best of it. He fell back against the wall. Apparently too hard, though. One of his bombs fell out of his pocket.

…

Wait, what?!

Bean the Duck opened his eyes wide. He turned up to the white polar bear next to him. "Uh, Bark, I think we have a problem," he proclaimed.

The polar bear shook his head. "Not now, Bean, we have to watch the entrance," he proclaimed.

Bean shook his head and slapped his forehead. "No, no, no, we have to get away from here! I think one of my bombs just rolled onto the ground, and you know…"

Bark raised an eyebrow. He glanced down at the ground and noticed a round, black object on the ground. Yes, clearly one of Bean's bombs. The problem? Bean's bombs automatically lit whenever they touched the ground.

At that moment, if one had seen the corner across from the Barrington Casino, one would've noticed a large robot watching two figures scramble into an alleyway. The next second, an explosion occurred right where they were standing. The explosion didn't do any damage, not even to the robot, but it did make a lot of noise.

_**XXXXX**_

Shadow took another step forward, but instantly stopped in his tracks. He heard an explosion up north, to their left. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

Rouge glanced up at the black hedgehog in surprise. "Here what?" she asked.

Shadow perked his ears up. "I'm positive I heard an explosion," he stated. "It came from the north. It was vague, but I could hear it."

The batgirl laughed. "Oh, don't worry about it," she said. As she was saying this she walked forward a bit and glanced around. She continued immediately after her previous statement, saying, "The northern part of the city is full of those kinds of things, all the time." She turned back to Shadow, then. "Let's just get on with the mission, shall we?" Unfortunately for her, there was one problem.

She glanced around in panic. "Shadow?" she called out.

Rouge slammed her foot into the ground, angrily. Shadow had run off.

**_XXXXX_**

Charmy sat and watched Espio and Vector chat with the hedgehog. He didn't really mind, though. He simply sat there and played on his game. He finally managed to beat Mystery Mire, and now had to head up to the mountain and find the last crystal.

Unfortunately, this was most difficult to reach, or so he heard, at least. The only way was to enter the light world, go to the mountain, and return to the light world again. Regardless, he made his way, and finally reached the path he was supposed to follow. He found the cave system that led to the top of the mountain and quickly made his way. Finally, he reached the peak and located the portal. He moved to step into it, and…

An explosion erupted outside.

Everyone in the room jumped up in panic and surprise. Even Charmy did so. "What in the world was that?!" Espio called out.

Charmy glanced at the door behind him. "I think it must've come from outside," he stated.

Vector slapped his hand across his forehead. "Why, of course, Charmy, what knowledge," he proclaimed, sarcastically. "Considering the fact that this building hasn't blown up yet, it _obviously_ had come from outside. Now, please, once you figure out what caused it, let us know. Until then, shut your mouth."

Flame glanced around the room. "I didn't feel a thing, yet it sounded as if it was close. It couldn't have been a very big explosion, or else we would've felt it," he explained.

Vector nodded in reply. "Actually, you're right. I was thinking about that, myself. Regardless, it was pretty loud. We'd best go investigate."

The echidna shook his head. "Sorry, guys, but I'm out. I have to stay here. You go and take care of it. Please let me know about it later, though."

Vector turned back and saluted. "You have my word," he proclaimed.

The three detectives rushed out of the building and down the street towards where they first heard the blast. They intended on getting to the bottom of this mysterious explosion, and then report back to the police about this new load of information they had received. This would be one interesting night.

**_XXXXX_**

Bark slammed his fist into the wall. His anger couldn't get any worse. The explosion itself wasn't the problem. However, it attracted attention to them, something that they did not need.

He turned back to the duck, still furious about this whole situation. "Why didn't you make sure that your weapons were secure?" he asked.

The duck shrugged his shoulders. "I guess the thought never occurred to me, before," he stated.

Bark slapped his forehead. That was not the answer he was looking for. A thought suddenly occurred to him, though. He glanced around the alleyway, but noticed something peculiar. Actually, he didn't notice something, which was the problem. He turned back to Bean. "Where's Omega?" he asked.

Bean motioned back towards the street. "The robot's still standing there. He hasn't moved an inch since we first stopped out here this morning."

Bark narrowed his eyes. "Well, go get him, then," he stated.

The duck began to turn around and walk out of the alley, but then a thought occurred to Bark. He quickly ran forward and held out his hand ahead of him. "Wait, wait, hold on," he stated.

Bean looked up in surprise. "What's up?" he asked.

Bark motioned back into the alley again with his hand. "You stay here, Bean. _I_ will go get Omega."

Bean crossed his arms and sighed as Bark ran out of the alley and stepped out of sight. The duck walked deeper into the alley again and leaned up against the wall of the building behind him. He was fed up with sitting in the background, being the odd one out, the one whom always foiled everything. "Oh, what I wouldn't give for a little respect around here," he proclaimed.

"Hey, you," a voice called out.

Bean jumped up in surprise. Glancing over to his left, he saw a figure that he seemed to recognize. He was about to open his mouth, but the other person stepped out of the shadows and walked up in front of him. "Hey, have you seen anything suspicious around here," the figure asked.

The duck stared at the figure in surprise, and then finally jumped in excitement. "Wait a second, aren't you Knuckles the Echidna?!" Bean proclaimed.

Knuckles glanced down at the duck in surprise. "Yeah, I am," he stated. "What's it to you?"

Bean began to open his mouth, but Knuckles stopped him. "Wait, I feel something," he stated.

The duck looked round in surprise, but saw nothing. He turned back to the echidna. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Knuckles said nothing. He just stared blankly. Then suddenly, he spun around—his back facing Bean. The duck looked out from behind him and saw an interesting marvel.

Out of nowhere, seven figures appeared. At the center of the group was Shadow. On his left was Rouge, and to his right was a chameleon. A crocodile was behind the chameleon, with a small thing flying around him. Bark was in front of Rouge and Omega was in front of the chameleon.

Knuckles stared at the group in utter surprise. Bean watched him curiously as he opened his mouth. "Well, what a pleasant surprise," Knuckles proclaimed.

**_XXXXX_**

A bird glanced out his bedroom window. It was still the afternoon, but the light was quickly dissipating. He smiled, slyly. "Soon, that fortune will be ours," he proclaimed.

The figure glanced down at the picture of the girl that was sitting on his desk. She was a year older than Wave, but was five years older than his own self. He stared at the picture with a loving sigh. "Oh, don't worry my dear. You, too, will be mine as well. Before that time, though, I must destroy those fools trying to thwart our plan. Once that is over with, then we can be together."

Jet the Hawk, leader of the Babylon Rogues, set his hand down on the desk. A small phone on a receiver was in front of him. He reached over and picked it up, pressing a quick dial button. He opened his mouth, but said only two words. "It's time."

**_XXXXX_**

"So, what's this all about?" Knuckles asked.

Shadow shook his head. "You two, get over here. We can't stay, here," the black hedgehog proclaimed.

Bean sighed. "What's wrong about staying here?" he asked.

Bark yelled out at the duck. "Bean, we have to go! We've been found out," he explained.

Knuckles and Bean both turned around, noticing some large guys looking around. It was still light out, but darkness was approaching.

The echidna nodded and grabbed Bean. "Sorry, kid, but we gotta' go," he stated.

Bean took one last look at the thugs, then finally nodded in reply. "You don't have to tell me twice."

They joined the others, then Shadow glanced back at Vector. "Where should be go?" he asked.

Vector thought for a moment. "Uh, just to explain everything and share our information, let's go to the hotel that we're staying at."

Shadow nodded. He turned back to the others and spread his hands out. However, he felt someone's hand touch his shoulder. "Shadow, are you sure that you can handle enough energy to move all of us?" Rouge asked.

The hedgehog looked forward and noticed that the thugs had seen them. They began calling others then rushed down into the alleyway. Shadow shook his head. "I don't know, but I have no choice. We've got to get out of here, now!"

Charging as much energy as he could, Shadow spread out his arms. "Chaos…"

At the last second, the echidna lifted his hands up, too. "Control!" Knuckles finished.

The powers of both Shadow and Knuckles combined, the nine figures disappeared instantly. The thugs had finally reached them, but a light blinded them, and then there was nothing left to be found.


	5. Babylon Rising

**Team Chaotix – On the News**

**_Chapter 5: Babylon Rising_**

The white hedgehog sighed. This wasn't going to look good on his résumé. He had screwed up his mission by letting himself get compromised, and now information was starting to leak out. His client didn't like it.

It was a good thing that no one around here recognized him, though. Truly, no one would think twice about a hedgehog walking down the street. That little masquerade back in the United Federation tainted his reputation black. He had been uncovered, found out. Here, though, he was still barely known.

Now, he was just within the boundaries of Metal City—a more industrialized area of Central City. It wouldn't be long before he reached the northern area. Barrington's Casino should be easy to locate—nothing could possibly go wrong in the meantime. Well, much to his dismay, something went wrong. Or did it actually go right for a change?

A small group appeared out of nowhere. Except for a purple chameleon, all of them slammed hard into the ground. The hedgehog quickly hid in front of the building just past the alleyway. He had heard of the mysterious 'Chaos Control,' and knew that only a few could wield the power. Boy, if only he could harness such power. It seemed like only hedgehogs could do so, but only the legendary Sonic, as well as another known as Shadow, have been known to be able to wield it.

"Ugh, my head is killing me," one of them proclaimed.

Another one simply shook off the pain, and glanced over to the one whom just spoke. "Knuckles, how did you do that?" the black one asked.

The one called Knuckles shrugged his shoulders. "What?! Come on, guys, don't look at me like that, I don't even know how I did it!" he stated. "The situation seemed urgent, so I tried."

Another voice spoke up. "Well, whatever the case, you saved us back there. Nice job, Knuckles!"

The hedgehog stopped staring and stood straight up against the wall again. He leaned back into it, deep surprise on his face. _'Wait a second, it's those foolish detectives, again! That black hedgehog must also be Shadow, and that 'Knuckles' must be that dratted echidna!'_

He remembered what they had done. Knuckles had tried to find Ultima, but those birds had taken care of him. Then the Chaotix members had come in and ruined his plans. They are the ones whom had stained his reputation.

Ultima snickered, slyly. _'Well, then, two can play at that game,'_ he told himself.

The hedgehog quickly ran off. He had to talk with Barrington, as soon as possible.

**_XXXXX_**

Espio rubbed his head. What in the world had just happened?! However, everyone was staring at one thing. The chameleon glanced over to what everyone was looking at, in utter disbelief. "Knuckles, how did you do that?" Shadow asked.

Knuckles simply shrugged his shoulders. "What?! Come on, guys, don't look at me like that, I don't even know how I did it!" he proclaimed. "The situation seemed urgent, so I tried."

Vector looked up from his spot. "Well, whatever the case, you saved us back there. Nice job, Knuckles!" However, the crocodile wasn't done yet. He pushed himself to his feet and glanced around at everyone. "However, it's not time to celebrate, yet. Our little group here may seem suspicious to onlookers. It's best that we get going before anyone notices us."

Rouge jumped to her feet and nodded in reply. "That would probably be best. However, we need to go in separately. It'd be a little suspicious to go all in at once," she stated.

Bark looked up to Rouge and nodded, then glanced over to Vector. "Actually, we've got our own room in here, as well. We wouldn't be suspicious going in, so we'll just head in shortly after you guys and meet up with you, later," the bear explained.

"**I would arouse suspicions entering with you,"** a heavy voice stated. It was clearly Omega speaking. The robot had only just lifted his own self off of the ground when he had spoken up. **"I shall accompany Shadow and Rouge into the building, instead."**

Espio nodded, as well. "Sounds good," he stated. "Shadow, Knuckles, Rouge, and Omega can enter using Chaos Control. Everyone else should walk in, or else arouse suspicions on the way out as to how they had gotten inside in the first place."

Knuckles then lifted up his hand. Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to him. "Hold on a second," he stated, "why are we rushing ahead of ourselves? What was so bad about a few thugs in the first place, anyway. We could've easily smashed their heads in, why run? And why is everyone so urgent to get inside?"

The echidna glanced across a group full of deaf ears. No one budged. No one spoke. "Well, anyone got any answers?"

Finally, Shadow spoke up. "The problem," he stated, "is that we compromised a mission. We'd been found out and had to get out of there, and fast, too."

Knuckles lifted his hand up and approached Shadow. "Now hold on a second, that's even more confusing. 'Found out?' Found out what?! What's going on here?"

Shadow lifted his index finger to his mouth. "Not now," he said. "everything will be explained once we are in a secure location."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "Secure?"

**_XXXXX_**

The three detectives—Vector, Espio, and Charmy—entered the building first. They took the elevator to the third floor and entered room two hundred seventy-one. Bean and Bark came into the building shortly after, trying to act as inconspicuous as possible.

Bean the 'Dynamite' Duck—as he was often nicknamed, and Bark the Polar Bear, were on a special assignment from GUN. They had a first floor room in the far back corner of the building, room zero-zero-four. To act as 'inconspicuous' as possible, they went in the direction of their room, but once in the cover of the halls, they made their way up a series of stairs to the third floor.

The Chaotix members met with the two GUN Agents at the door to the detectives' room. They went in, making sure that no cameras were around or any maintenance crews nearby, and went face-to-face with Shadow, Rouge, Knuckles, and Omega. Shadow wore the same pair of sunglasses—or 'shades,' as they were also called—that he had worn the day before.

The black hedgehog was sitting on the couch that Charmy was laying on earlier, but on top of the armrest. His right leg was along the armrest, while his left leg hung over the edge. His body was leaned against the wall behind the couch. Rouge was to his right, and Knuckles sat on Espio's twin-size bed. Omega simply stood in the corner.

Shadow lifted his shades up and winked, slyly. "What took you so long?" he asked.

**_XXXXX_**

She was only trying to help, but now she realized how much she missed him. She longed for his presence, his warmth. She had no family left. Truly, she really didn't even belong here. In fact, she was more like a ghost than anything else. She had her physical body, but she may as well have been a ghost.

Tikal the Echidna sat at the edge of the island, her feet dangling over. Knuckles had only been gone a few hours, but it felt like days. Now she was beginning to regret trying to help him out with his little love-life.

She sighed. "Oh, what can I do? He's already gone off. He won't need me anymore, and I'll be by myself again."

Tikal stopped for a moment then began to speak again. Before the words came out, though, a pool of water seeped out of the ground. She glanced at it, startled. "Oh, I supposed I overreacted there, didn't I?" she stated, talking to this little puddle. "Of course, you're with me, too, Chaos."

The echidna princess laid down into the grass. "Oh, but it still doesn't seem fair. Only one other echidna left alive, but he's gone and I'm stuck here," she proclaimed.

The pool began bubbling again. Tikal watched as it did so, listening to every word. She nodded. "I know that, but…"

It bubbled again. Chaos was trying to tell her something. No one else could understand, but she could. She could telepathically speak with the chao creatures. Only few had such a gift. Chaos, as she later learned, was actually a special kind of chao. What was it called, again? A… mutant? Yes, Chaos was a mutant chao. That's why she was able to understand him.

Regardless, she did not like his latest statement. She slammed her fist into the ground. "I'm sorry, Chaos, but it still doesn't seem that fair! I don't like it. I don't care how everything was intended, I just…"

Chaos said something else. She opened her eyes wide. Tikal sat up, cross-legged, and stared at the liquid creature. "Wha—what are you saying?"

Chaos told her something else, adding a new depth.

Tikal quickly backed away. "N-no, I… I can't. I promised him that I'd guard the emerald while he was gone, and I. I'm not going to back down, now. I'm sorry, Chaos, but I can't leave Angel Island!"

**_XXXXX_**

Vector paced around the room, taking everything in. "Hmm, this is getting more and more interesting by the second," he stated.

Bark nodded. "That's exactly how it went. We accidentally stumbled onto this, and the Commander sent us to investigate further. This Barrington guy is plotting something, I can feel it."

Bean sat up in his seat, rather surprised by this. "Wow, there's a lot about this I didn't know," he stated. "So I guess we got a big case, after all."

Shadow nodded in reply. "And you aren't going to keep it for long," he stated. The black hedgehog slid out of his seat and stood up, glaring at the duck sitting on the large full-size bed. "You compromised your position and got him suspicious. You're done with this mission."

The duck looked up at the hedgehog, stunned by his statement. "Hey, hold up," a voice called out.

Shadow turned around and saw Rouge approaching him. "Come on, Shadow, don't get too hard on him. They did good work in order to find this out for us." The bat turned and glanced at Bean then at Bark. Finally, she turned back to Shadow, gesturing with her hand. "And besides, we could use all the help we can get," she stated.

"She's right," Espio said, glanced up from his spot. He was leaning up against the wall at the section of the room that curved over and caused a sharp corner. The chameleon nodded in reply to Rouge's statement. "If this guy's as conniving as what has been said, then we'll need everyone in on this."

Espio took a glance over to his left, where Charmy was sitting down on Omega's shoulders near the window. He narrowed his eyes in on the bee. "Well, make that _almost_ everyone," he added.

Vector stomped his foot on the ground. "Enough!" he called out, angrily. "Can we please get on with this? Bark, continue your story. I want to hear every detail."

Bark stood up from his spot. Everyone stopped and watched him. "Yeah, I was getting to that. We were assigned to watching the building for any suspicious acts then act accordingly. After Omega was released from a previous assignment, he was assigned to help us out. Acting according to plan, we went and watched the building. Mostly it was just people going in and out, but we had managed to find a few interesting occurrences. We made note of the fact that the girl had--"

"Wait, girl?" Espio butted in, suddenly. "What girl? You never mentioned one, before..."

Vector smacked his hand against the wall. "Espio, keep quiet—let him talk!" the crocodile called out.

"Barrington's daughter," Shadow said, stubbornly, having returned to his seat on the sofa's armrest. "The guy has a teenaged daughter named Melanie, if memory serves me correctly."

Bark nodded in reply. "It does," he stated. "Now can you please let me talk?"

Everything was instantly quiet.

The polar bear raised an eyebrow. "Ah, yes, thanks. Now as I was saying, the girl came down the street, but got attacked by a couple thugs. Following orders, we made sure to not intervene. She was saved by some hedgehog, though. We took note of that then continued watching the building. That is when we then saw him."

Vector raised an eyebrow, curiously. "Him?" he asked, ignoring his own statement previously.

Bark nodded. "Yes, a suspicious-looking character whom we remembered seeing a couple days earlier. After we gained our first bits of info about this 'Barrington' guy, we were sent to escort three jailbirds to Prison Island, but they--"

"Got away," Shadow muttered out loud.

The interruption infuriated the bear, but Shadow was his superior. "Yes, they got away."

Vector and Espio glared at Bark. Vector took a step forward. "So you're saying that you saw one of the Babylon Rogues?" he asked.

Bark nodded. "Yeah. I think it was the large one. He was carrying a golden-brown board shaped like a--"

Espio now stood up. Before he was leaning against the wall, but with the sudden revelation he jumped instantly. "…a peanut? Was it shaped kind of like a peanut?"

The bear was taken back by this. He scratched his forehead awkwardly. "Yeah, actually, now that I think of it, it was. It was flat like an ordinary board, but it's overall shape was just like a peanut. It had a small, oval-shaped front section, a slightly slimmer bridge between the two sections, and a large oval-shaped section in the back. Why, though, what's the--"

Shadow jumped to his feet and turned to Espio. "Wait a minute, are you saying that…"

"It's the Extreme Gear of Hannah Swift," Vector explained.

"And in the hands of the Babylon Rogues," Rouge added, now standing up herself.

Knuckles tapped his fists together, anxiously. "So… what does this mean?" he asked.

Espio clasped his hands together. "This mystery has just gotten a lot more complicated," he stated.

Vector turned to the window, but saw nothing but blackness. "It's no use fretting about it, tonight. It's too dark to do anything. We'll have to wait until morning, then split up."

Bean jumped to his feet. "Wait, but what if someone tries to come during the night? We aren't just going to sit here while someone attacks us as we sleep, are we?"

Bark shook his head. "Actually, Bean's got a point. They know we're onto them, now. Shadow was following the Babylonians, we were watching them, and the Chaotix are after Hannah, but we've now been seen together. We should set a guard to watch our backs."

Shadow thought over this for a moment, then lifted up his hand—index finger up. "And I know exactly whom can help us," he stated.

Instantly, all eyes in the room (save for Charmy) were on e-series robot one hundred twenty-three, codenamed "Omega."

**_XXXXX_**

Timothy James Barrington glanced up from his seat as the door to his room slammed open. Inside entered the white hedgehog mercenary. He smiled broadly. "And you've got good news for me, I take it?"

The hedgehog nodded, but remained standing in the doorway. He did not speak.

Barrington lifted his hand and beckoned to him. "Come, enter. Tell me this 'news' of yours."

The hedgehog nodded again. He turned and shut the door, then walked in and up to Barrington's desk.

Barrington motioned for a chair on the opposite side of the desk. "Sit," he said. "Let us share this news, together."

The hedgehog sat down, but again said nothing. He stared at Barrington, waiting.

Finally, the human entrepreneur answered. "Now, what is it you came to tell me? Is the echidna dead?"

The hedgehog hesitated at first. Finally, he shook his head. "No," he stated.

Barrington raised his left eyebrow. "How about those detectives that are currently on your tail, tracking you down? Surely you don't want them to foil your plans yet again, do you?"

The hedgehog shook his head again. "No."

Barrington leaned forward and slammed his hands on the desk, startling his guest. "Then why don't I see some action?!" he lashed out.

He leaned back again, and his grin returned. "Come now, Ultima. Do you intend on ruining your reputation so rashly?"

Barrington slid open a drawer on his desk. He pulled out a straight, pointy object out of it and examined it in his hand. Ultima knew exactly what it was, but simply sat there. He knew Barrington's deals, and knew what failure meant. He had failed.

Barrington slid the object out of a leather covering. It was a sharp knife. He did not threaten the hedgehog at all, though. The hedgehog also did not threaten him, as Ultima knew that he himself would die if harm were to come to his employer.

The man glared devilishly at the mercenary. "I don't like failures," he finally stated.

Ultima jumped to his feet. Barrington didn't budge from his spot. As soon as the hedgehog moved, three guards rushed into the room and grabbed him. Ultima did not struggle. He just waited for the right moment.

"What do you want us to do with 'em, boss?" One of them stated.

Barrington glanced at the mercenary hedgehog once more. He was being held in the air by his arms. Three large, bulky anthros were doing the honors. "Ultima, you have one last chance. You failed to destroy them, but perhaps you at least gained some knowledge? Fail to answer correctly, and you shall breathe your last."

Ultima breathed in, trying to get some air from the guys surrounding him. Finally, he nodded. "Actually, yes, I have managed to find something," he managed to say.

The human glanced at the first thug and nodded. Instantly, Ultima fell to the ground. The hedgehog was in no condition to want to do anything, but he still forced himself to his feet.

"They're in the Metal City plaza, staying at the Dynasty Hotel," he stated. "The detectives are there, along with Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, Knuckles the Echidna, that robot, and also two others whom I didn't recognize."

Barrington smiled. "Well, then, perhaps you may be of some use to us, after all. Did the other two consist of a light beige polar bear—almost white in color, and also a green duck?"

Ultima turned his head, curiously, surprised at that remark. "Yes, that's exactly what I saw."

The human nodded, a sly grin on his face. He turned his head to the left as he said, "Well, then, I suppose that we shall have to pay then a little visit."

Out of a side room, a large, gray bird walked out. Ultima simply stared at it in utter amazement. It wasn't of amazement, it was of surprise. It was of surprise that this lunatic thought that _they_ were more valuable than _him_. _They_ were worse failures than him, yet were getting the better treatment.

Barrington looked up at the new entrant. "Tell your boss about your latest assignment," he stated. "It's time to cut down this dynasty."

The figure saluted in reply. "Of course, sir, right away," he stated.

The bird immediately ran off, and Ultima watched him. He wouldn't get left alone, though. "What do you think you're doing here, still," Barrington called out. "You'd better go with them, now, and dispose of those rats, before I dispose of you!"

Ultima snickered, but said nothing. The hedgehog ran out of the room, closing the door behind him and disappearing from sight.

Barrington sighed. Ah, everything was going perfectly. Soon, it would all fall into place. If everything turns out correctly as anticipated, and if his plan works out, then every last one of them should be dead by morning—including the mercenary and the birds. Once they were taken care of, the girl was his to dispose of. As for the echidna… well, he's already within reach.

The human snickered. He glanced at the picture sitting on the table, his beautiful daughter on it. Oh, it would all be perfect. Now that the echidna had met her, he was within reach and ready to fall into the trap.

* * *

**Author's Note(s)**: What the hell happened?! Actually, this was up for a while, but I simply failed to post it on Don't worry, peeps, I'll get to a regular schedule of fics again, soon. In fact, a new chapter of 'On the News' _might_ be available this weekend. Don't get your hopes up, though, as I've been working extensively on my site.

_(P.S. Just a little note, here. I noticed a small plothole that I made, and I didn't even notice it coming. At the beginning, Hannah's "Golden Feather" gear yes, it is actually supposed to be like a feather, but it's also somewhat of a peanut shape was left behind. However, then I added in that the Babylon Rogues had it. Ugh, I'll just have to retcon the first appearance, or find some way of making it work. This is a very bad mistake on my part, though. I should've noticed that error.)_


	6. The Omega Code

**Team Chaotix – On the News**

**_Chapter 6 – The Omega Code_**

Blackness had covered the city, and the world around it. The sun had vanished beyond the horizon, its light no longer visible in the distance. The moon revealed itself brightly in the night sky, reflecting the light shone by the sun onto the planet below. The portion missing from it replayed the tragic event that occurred little more than a year ago—visible only when the moon was positioned just right.

Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat got a room for a late night stay in the Dynasty Hotel. The cost was all paid for by the GUN Federation Forces. Knuckles, not wanting to have to make his way back to Angel Island this late, decided to stay with Shadow and Rouge.

Rouge did question his reasoning for coming to the city, but Knuckles just shrugged it off. "I just felt like I needed a little break," he stated.

Truth be told, it was a stupid answer, and neither Shadow nor Rouge bought it, but neither questioned it. The problem was his own, and none of their business. His reasoning for wishing to stay here did not matter.

Quite awkwardly, the room had a large, full-size bed, and a smaller twin-sized bed, as well. However, unlike the Chaotix's suite, this room was small and had no couch. Regrettably, it was clear that one of them would have to take the twin, and the other two would have to sleep on either side of the full.

Shadow never found sleeping a thing he often enjoyed doing, but he realized that if he did not then he grew weary, and would eventually fall asleep, anyway. Clearly, not even powerful research projects could get out of sleep.

Knuckles scratched his head, a bit frustrated. "Oh, great... Now what are we going to do?" he asked.

Shadow sighed. "It looks like two of us will have to stay in the full."

The echidna's face turned red. Not an embarrassing red, though. "What?!" Knuckles lashed out, instantly turning to the black hedgehog. "Hey, if I knew that'd I'd have to put up with this, then I immediately would've went straight back home!"

The black hedgehog chuckled, slightly. "Sorry, but I can't help it. Regardless, why'd you come in the first place?"

Knuckles' face now officially turned flush. His anger turned to embarrassment; the red to pink. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Er, heh, I… well, I really don't want to talk about that…"

Rouge leaned in to the conversation, examining both of them. "Something happen?" she asked, slyly.

The echidna shook his head. "Nope, everything's perfect," he explained.

The batgirl glanced at the two beds. "Hmm… well, logic dictates that two of us will have to stay in the same one. To prevent any sly thoughts, perhaps I should just take the small one."

Rouge snickered. Now both Shadow and Knuckles were beginning to regret this. Ultimately, it appeared that one of them would have to be with Rouge, and…

Shadow turned around and started heading out the door. "I'm just going to go stand guard with Omega, in case he needs a little backup."

As his hand reached for the handle, someone else's hand grabbed a tuff of fur at the back of his neck. "Now where do you think you're going?" Rouge asked.

She dragged him back into the room and stopped. Turning to him, she opened her mouth. "Shadow the Hedgehog, you have been out and about the last few days without rest. You are going to get a good night's sleep!"

Shadow snarled. "I'm just fine," he stated.

Rouge shook her head. She pushed him down onto the twin-size bed, still persistent. "Come, now. You've fought super villains, destroyed rampaging robots, and stopped an entire alien race from conquering the world. Still, though, when it comes to getting a good night's sleep, you're just like a little kid!"

The bat turned away, and Shadow regrettably obeyed her. Knuckles watched as Rouge walked passed him and entered the restroom, anger on her face. "Men," she stated, a harsh tone in her voice.

Knuckles sighed. Great, so _he_ got stuck with her. Perfect. Just perfect, he thought.

Rouge got out of the restroom after a couple minutes, having changed into a black, skin-tight night gown. The echidna tried his best not to look.

"So, having trouble figuring out what to do?" she asked. Rouge wasted no time to wait for an answer. "Well, then, how about this. You take the bed, and I'll sleep in the corner. I'd rather not sleep in that musty thing, anyway," the bat stated.

She quickly flew off toward the corner, and Knuckles stared in bewilderment. "Wait, what…?!" he stated, turning toward where Rouge had gone.

What she did put him into a state of utter disbelief. Well, until Knuckles realized exactly what was going on. Rouge flew up into the corner and hung herself down from the ceiling. Knuckles did recall hearing how bats often slept hanging from the ceiling, but didn't consider the idea that Rouge may ever do such a thing.

_**XXXXX**_

Clouds formed overhead. A light rain began to pour down to the ground. Two figures stood broadly in the night sky, overlooking the five-story building in front of them. The elder of the two stepped forward.

She was a female—tall and proud. Two large clumps of feathers blew in the breeze of the wind behind her, like ordinary hair. She surveyed the situation. "Doesn't look like much," she stated. "So long as we're quiet, this should be a breeze."

The other nodded in reply. He kneeled down at the edge of the rooftop, glaring out at the building. A large, metal object stood and overlooked the western part of the building, on the left side. "He will be the only problem. The others will be no match in their sleep, but if he spots us and alerts them, we'll have problems," he stated.

The girl nodded in reply. She snickered, slyly. "Oh, don't worry, I've got that taken care of. Barrington managed to get his hands on an override code, which will ultimately allow us to control him. He'll be our ticket to victory," she proclaimed.

The male glanced up, and then back at the robot. "Interesting. I wonder how he knows so much about this," he stated.

The female shrugged her shoulders. "Who cares? The money's all I want."

The other nodded again. "Yes, of course. With all that cash, we'll be swimming in gold!" He called out. He even imagined it, too. Himself, legendary wind master Jet the Hawk, swimming through a pool filled with pure, solid gold! He stared up into the air and laughed, excitingly.

The female slapped him upside the head and pointed down to the robot. It had begun to turn and look around. She quickly pulled Jet to the ground and waited for it to turn back around. She glared at Jet and scolded him. "What were you thinking?!"

Jet crossed his arms. "Ah, Wave, you always ruin everything!"

They stood back up again, brushing themselves off. Wave sighed. "When do we begin?" she finally asked, anxious to get this over with.

Jet nodded. "As soon as Storm brings us the word," he stated.

Wave frowned. Great, so she had to rely on Storm to get the job done. Perfect. This was just perfect.

_**XXXXX**_

Janelle glanced out the window, suddenly realizing how dark it was. She slid up the sleeve on her right arm and glanced at the object sitting beneath it. _'Ten-thirty?! That late?!'_ she asked herself.

The cat sighed. She'd been here all day, but had found nothing. There was nothing to go by, and no links to anything. Those detectives hadn't been much use, either. She sighed. _'I suppose I'd best turn in,'_ she decided.

Janelle stood up and glanced around the office. Most of the lights were off, and only a few people were still in. Most had already gone home for the evening, and those left were all on the nighttime shift, anyway. Everyone on the nighttime shift was probably out on patrol. Hers was technically the daytime shift, but she often stayed in all hours of the night, anyway.

Finally feeling beat, not gaining any further information, and feeling a little down, Janelle marched toward the exit. As she was leaving, though, the phone at her desk rang. She put it off a couple seconds, but then couldn't help it any more.

Janelle ran back to her desk and grabbed the telephone. "Hello?" she called out.

Much to her surprise, it was the crocodile. "Is this the chief of police?" the caller asked.

The cat sat down. "Vector?" she asked.

"Affirmative," Vector proclaimed. "You are Janelle, correct?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you got some info for me?"

Vector grinned slyly. The crocodile nodded his head, even though she could not see. "Yeah, I got somethin for ya. Actually, I've got a lot of somethins for ya," he proclaimed. "You might want to get a pencil; it'll be a little while."

_**XXXXX**_

The echidna slipped out of the small café and sighed. Well, that wasn't so bad for a first night, he had decided. Regardless, it would be tough keeping up for this, and even then, it would be barely enough to get by. Oh well, it would be worth it, Flame told himself.

He turned left and started to walk down the street. He went across the street straight ahead, then turned left. He walked a couple more blocks then found an alleyway off to the right. He glanced forward and noticed the street sign. The sign read 'Bullet Street.' The street that he was on now, as he recalled, was named 'Station Square.' He had known where the place was, but never paid attention to the names. Perhaps he'd best remember it for future use.

Flame entered into the alley and into the first door on his left. He turned the knob and it slid open, leading inside a raggedy old room. This was, as he remembered, a "low-income housing" apartment complex, whatever that meant. Clearly, it didn't mean much. Wait, wasn't income money from a job? Ah, that explained it. It was a housing unity for poor people. Grand.

A guy at the desk looked up from behind it. He was short, fat, stubby little mole. His fur was brown in color, and his eyes were sapphire. The guy's nose stuck out in an unusual manner for most, but that didn't really matter much. He wore a raggedy, black jacket. His head only just barely peeked out over the two and a half-foot counter.

The guy looked up at Flame, startled. He then shouted out angrily. "Didn't I already talk with you? You can't stay here unless you've got some--"

Flame smiled and lifted his hand down. He showed the guy the wad of cash, and then opened his mouth. "Money?" he asked.

The mole raised an eyebrow. He quickly swiped the cash and looked it over. "20, 30, 50, aye! 75!" he proclaimed, speaking in a rather strange accent that Flame didn't quite understand. "How'd you get so much cash in such a short while?" he asked.

Flame rubbed his head a little. "Er, well, I got a job and asked for some pay in advance…"

The mole narrowed his eyes. "Well, what's someone like you going around trying to get a place to stay with no money, anyway?" he asked.

The echidna shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, but I'd rather not talk about it. It's a long story, and you probably wouldn't even believe me if I told you." _'Like anyone would believe that I plucked out a sword which sent me to the future,'_ he told himself.

The mole nodded. "Ah, fine, but just wait a bit while I get a place ready for you. I'll call you when it's done."

Flame nodded in reply. He didn't bother saying a word. Instead, he left back out the door again and stepped out into the alleyway. He didn't like much attention, so he decided to sit outside, instead.

He walked down the alley a bit and decided to sit and wait beneath the shadow of an old stairwell. He just sat there a while, for about twenty minutes or so. Finally, he'd had enough.

The echidna walked back through the alley and up to the door. Just then, a trash bin crashed onto the ground. Flame instantly spun around. "Who is there?!"

_**XXXXX**_

"_Shadow…" the voice called out of the darkness._

_Shadow opened his eyes and saw something… a face!_

_It was that of a young girl. She had long flowing blond hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a blue garment covering her torso, and a skirt around her waist that reached her ankles._

_The hedgehog reached out his hand. "Maria!"_

_Maria pointed into the darkness, signaling something. "Go to her, Shadow. You must save her!"_

"_Who is it?" Shadow asked._

_The girl ignored him. "Danger strikes. Hurry, for if you fail, she's doomed!" she spoke._

_A wind blew in the blackness. Suddenly, Maria began to vanish. Shadow called out to her. "Maria, wait!"_

_He ran after her, but to no avail. "Go to her…" she said at last, and then was gone._

Shadow blinked. His eyes opened wide and saw a flowery texture ahead of him. He suddenly sat up and realized that he had fallen asleep. Where was he, though?

Glancing around the room, he remembered it. _'Of course, I'm still in the Dynasty Hotel!'_ he told himself.

The black hedgehog turned aside and processed the information in his mind. _'What did she mean?'_ he thought.

'_Nothing, it meant nothing. It wasn't real; it was all just a dream.'_ He told himself.

"Wait a second…" Shadow said out loud. He quickly jumped to his feet and glanced around the room. Knuckles lay in the second bed, fast asleep. Where was Rouge, though?!

A garbled transmission came in through the transmitter on his arm. **"…ack, re...t, und… att… …sting ...medi… ass…nce,"** the voice stated.

Shadow suddenly glanced to the window. An unusually wild rush of wind was outside. He narrowed his eyes. "Omega!" he called out, instantly rushing out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

_**XXXXX**_

Espio's eyes shot open. He could feel it. Something bad was happening.

The chameleon quickly jumped to his feet. He ran to the couch and shook the bee lying there. "Charmy, get up! Something's moving."

Well, it was quite obvious that _something_ was moving. Also obvious, though, was that it wasn't Charmy. He refused to even move an inch. Espio snorted. _'Well, so much for that,'_ he decided.

The chameleon rushed over to Vector. The crocodile was fast asleep, but was still rolling around in the little bed. Espio poked him a bit. "Vector, something's not right here. We've got to get moving."

Vector rolled around in the bed. He stretched his hands out into the air. Espio nodded. _'At least someone's listening,'_ he stated.

The crocodile stretched a bit and licked his lips. Then, he muttered something out loud. Espio watched as Vector said "Just a few more minutes."

That wasn't the answer he was looking for.

Espio walked to the end of the bed. Vector rolled over onto his belly, which gave this ninja an idea. He pulled out one of his throwing stars and walked back through the room. He headed toward the door, but as he passed Vector's bed, he launched the ninja star at his bottom. That made one nice wake-up call.

_**XXXXX**_

A loud scream echoed out. Suddenly hearing such an extremely loud and obnoxious noise through her ears, Rouge lost her balance and crashed into the floor.

This then woke up Knuckles, whom was surprised to see Rouge now on the floor. He rushed over to her and helped her up. "Hey, what just happened here?" he asked.

Rouge shook her head. The noise was still ringing in her ears. She placed her hands at the side of her head and closed her eyes.

"Something wrong?" The echidna asked.

Rouge looked down at the floor, and suddenly shook herself back to her senses. "Ugh, what time is it?" She asked.

Knuckles shook his head. "I don't know. I'm just wondering what the hell's going on around here!"

Rouge stopped. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Wait, a scream! I heard a scream," she proclaimed.

The bat looked up, but noticed something strange. She looked stunned. Instantly, she ran off to the door, leaving a bewildered Knuckles left behind.

He called out to her. "Wait, what's wrong?"

The echidna rushed ahead, but paused for a second. _'What was she staring at?'_ he asked himself.

Knuckles glanced back at the corner. There was nothing there, so why was she so… "There is nothing there…" he muttered, suddenly realizing what Rouge had seen.

The echidna quickly ran after Rouge, failing to shut the door behind him. He had to find her!

_**XXXXX**_

Shadow slammed the roof door open. "Omega!" he called out, charging onto the rooftop of the building.

He found Omega lying on the ground. The android had taken some heavy damage, but seemed to be alright. His eyes were black, though...

Shadow lifted the robot up and slid open the back panel on the robot. He examined everything, but everything was in a working order. Wait, though, what was this…? "0, 4, 3, 9, 4," Shadow read. This was programmed into Omega's memory banks, but…

A talon latched around his arm. The next instant, Shadow found himself sent flying through the air. He crashed onto the ground on his side, rolling a bit, until coming to a stop. He was still feeling the energy loss from yesterday, and was unable to get up properly. Regardless, slowly but surely, Shadow used his hand to push himself up.

A missile detonated in front of him. Shadow flew backwards and rolled up to the edge of the roof. He watched helplessly as the battle android approached him, eyes read. Suddenly, it came to him. _'It must be some sort of override code!'_ he told himself. _'Omega is unable to control his own actions, because someone programmed that code into him. There's only one person who could know that code, though…'_

A sudden thought came to him, but it couldn't be possible… it just couldn't! _'No, that couldn't be it, he's… he's in Station Square!'_ Shadow told himself. Truths don't lie, though. No one else could know that code, so that must've meant that he had something to do with this!

Omega took one more step forward, then stopped. Shadow looked up in curiosity. The robot had stopped not three feet away, but he did not move. Actually, he didn't do anything. What was he do--

"Well, well, what a pleasant surprise," a voice stated from behind him.

Still too weak, Shadow was only able to get onto his knees. He turned away from Omega and saw what he had dreaded.

Jet the Hawk stood there, balancing on his Extreme Gear just past the edge of the rooftop. On his right was Wave the Swallow, and to his left was Storm the Albatross. "And I thought they called you the ultimate life-form," Jet proclaimed with a snicker. "Such a pitiful performance."

Shadow rolled forward and jumped to his feet. It was more like a hobble, though. This was only going to worsen his current condition, but he had no choice, he had been out-numbered.

He skated back to the entrance, but Storm raced ahead and jumped in front of him. "Where do you think you're goin'?" he proclaimed.

The black hedgehog narrowed his eyes. He ducked away and darted in the opposite direction. He stared at the building across the alleyway ahead. If only he could jump to it…

Wave quickly darted in front of him, blocking the way. Shadow slid off and dashed toward the front of the building. There was only one way out, and he had to get there.

_**XXXXX**_

Rouge slammed the door open. Shadow was trapped by the three Babylon Rogues, with Omega standing behind. The black hedgehog quickly darted toward the edge of the roof, but then Omega shot two missiles out at him. The explosion threw Shadow forward and over the edge of the building.

She entered into a panic. Suddenly, she couldn't help herself. Rouge ran forward. "Shadow!" she called out.

The three Rogues turned to her. Wave snickered. "Well, well, look at what we've got here," she stated.

Jet grinned slyly. "Looks like the fun's just getting started!" he called out. Jet then motioned towards… something. It was quickly obvious what it was, though. "Go get 'er, Storm."

Rouge backed away. She quickly ran towards the entrance into the building, but the bird cut her off. "Sorry, but you ain't going nowhere. You're little friend made the same mistake," he proclaimed.

The bat backed away. There's no way she'd be able to fight all three of them, and also Omega. It was hopeless. Surely, she'd turn out the same way that…

Storm instantly went flying into the air. He crashed into the ground, landing head-first. Knuckles brushed off his hands and walked out of the door leading downstairs. He chuckled to himself. "Sorry I'm late," he stated. "I just had a little, eh, business to take care of."

Knuckles ran out to Rouge. He grabbed her hand. "Are you okay?" he asked.

The bat shook her head. She looked at the ground in sorrow, not saying a word.

The echidna realized what happened. He sighed. "Is there anything I can do to--"

Suddenly, Rouge wrapped her arms around him and cried. Knuckles instantly stopped. He said nothing.

"Sorry to break up this little romancy-smazz, here, but shouldn't we be worrying about them?" a voice called out.

Rouge's tears stopped, and both glanced back to the entrance. Vector charged out, Espio and Charmy right behind. A few seconds later, Bean and Bark exited, as well, the duck juggling a few bombs in his hands.

Jet stared them down, annoyed at the whole situation. It just took a turn for the worse. Still, they had their gear, and the robot was also under their control. Storm also pushed himself off of the ground, grabbing his gear and running back to the others.

The leader stared them down. Though they didn't have the advantage in numbers, Jet knew that they still had the upper hand. He snickered broadly. "Just try and take us down," he called out. "I'll show you the true power of the Babylon Rogues!"

_**XXXXX**_

Flame put his sword up and deflected the bullet fire. This sure was one handy weapon. It was light and durable, but still powerful.

The shadow escaped to the left. It climbed up and along the wall, then jumped down right behind the echidna. This time, though, it pulled out a dagger.

Flame quickly ducked to the side of the crazy figure. It dived toward him again, but he rolled to the right. The figure stared him down. It was one persistent person, he'd give that much.

The figure dived again, slamming his dagger down on top of the echidna. This time, though, Flame put his sword up. The blade of the dagger dug into the sword, but they didn't budge. His attacker was wearing a completely black outfit, so he was unable to tell exactly whom it was. He stared into his eyes, those teal irises…

…

Those teal irises in the midst of eyes encased in white fur, with a cut across them. It was placed evenly between the right pupil and the nose.

Flame backed away in surprise, resting his sword at his side. "Ultima," he snarled.

Ultima ripped away his hood revealing his face. The hedgehog stared blankly at the echidna. "I failed last time. Tonight, though, you die," the mercenary proclaimed.


	7. Beginning A Dynasty

_The Rogues were closing in on him. He had no choice. He had to jump, or else he was doomed. He skated and put his right foot in the air, and…_

_An explosion echoed out behind him._

_Shadow found himself again lifted into the air. He flew forward and fell off the building. 'Shadow…' the voice echoed in his head._

_He shook his head. 'I can't die here!' he told himself._

_Shadow's hand grasped the edge of the building. He firmly gripped the marble coating of the rooftop's edge, stopping his fall. He glanced at the street below and realized that it had saved him from certain doom… for the moment…_

**Team Chaotix – On the News**

**_Chapter 7 – Beginning A Dynasty_**

Jet, Storm, and Wave immediately took to the skies. As they were doing so, Wave called out down below. "Get them!" she yelled.

Vector was startled by this statement. Well, for a couple seconds, at least. Almost immediately after she said it, Omega let out a barrage of machine gun fire. He spun in a wide arc, and immediately everyone jumped out of the way.

Espio rolled right and underneath the barrage of bullets towards the front of the building. Jet came flying in from above and knocked the chameleon backwards. He rubbed his head, then quickly darted a shuriken at the hawk in the sky. However, Jet was too fast for him, and the star shot high into the sky.

When the barrage started, Vector immediately shot to the ground. Afterwards he got back to his feet and charged forward, pushing the android backwards. Omega broke free and quickly shot his cannon at the crocodile at point-blank range. The detective flew back into the wall next to the door that led back downstairs, and didn't get up.

Bark had also ducked to the ground, but he was further to the left of where Vector had been, and the barrage passed over his head later. As such, he had to watch as the crocodile got pummeled by the E-series robot. Not wasting any time, he charged forward at the robot, too. Bark put his fists together and slammed them into Omega's torso. The robot skidded back, but kept his balance. He fired two missiles at the bear, but Bark rolled out of the way to the right.

Bean the duck had dived to the ground right when the barrage passed. However, he simply stayed there and cowered under his arms. Well, at least until Rouge grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Rouge directed them to fly after Storm. The bird was across the alleyway and watched everyone from a scaffold on the side of the building.

Rouge and Bean then took to the air, and as they passed over the edge of the building behind, Bean launched four bombs at the scaffolding ahead. Storm immediately took to the air, flying around the hotel to the front and over the street area, but keeping level with the hotel's roof. Rouge flew in after him and got ahead of him. She kicked a heavy blow with her right leg and the bulky bird flew back onto the rooftop, crashing into the ground next to Omega.

Wave flew down from behind the building and pulled out a large wrench she used to fix the airship with. Riding majestically, she came down and slammed Knuckles hard against his chest. Knuckles collided into Bark and both crashed into the ground. They slid up against the outer edge of the roof.

Knuckles immediately jumped to his feet and rushed forward. He brought his arm down and slammed upward into Omega. The robot was launched up into the air, and then crashed back down into the ground. It didn't get up again. He approached the battle android, but suddenly got tackled to the ground from behind.

"You're going to pay for the humiliation you lent to me before!" Storm yelled into Knuckles' ear.

Knuckles had a hard time wrestling the albatross off his back. Finally, he managed to get a hard grip on Storm's arm. He laughed. "Ha, I'd like to see you try!" the echidna called out. Instantly, Knuckles stood up onto his feet and whipped Storm around to his left. The albatross crashed up against the wall next to the door, but on the opposite side Vector was on.

Wave glided passed the field and over to the front of the building. Rouge was hovering in midair, watching the battle ahead. The mechanic crashed her gear into Rouge, and the bat collided against the building on the opposite side of the street. Rouge shook the pain from her head then quickly flew forward again. She dived at Wave, sending a kick against her skull.

Wave and her gear crashed up against the outside wall of the stairwell on top of the hotel, but over to the side of it, instead. She shook off the pain and immediately jumped back on her gear. She tackled Rouge, and the two fought each other in a fist fight over the street. They ended up facing each other, Wave closer to the hotel and Rouge on the opposite side.

Rouge took a quick glance past Wave, then suddenly cried out. "Shadow!" she yelled.

The hedgehog was hanging from the side of the building, barely able to hold on. This distraction was costly, though. Wave charged forward and slammed Rouge with her wrench. The bat crashed into the building opposite to the hotel, again. Everything went black.

**_XXXXX_**

She was engulfed in blackness. Nothing surrounded. Wait… a light! …but it disappeared a second later. Hey, another light appeared! This one lasted longer, but again dissipated. Her eyes suddenly shot open, but the light was too blinding!

Tikal placed her right hand above her eyes on her forehead. She gazed in wonder. The Master Emerald radiated brightly. In the midst of the darkness of the night, it showed a glorious, yet blinding, light. She stared into its depths, its thrilling mystery…

What was this…?

The emerald pictured a few scenes. First, it showed a woman hard at work. Wait, it's a cat! Next, the emerald pictured a man writing at his desk. Afterwards, a woman walked in, and then he quickly hid the paper and greeted her. The next didn't look to great. A dark figure looked down upon a city street far below. The city looked… somehow familiar. The last picture showed… wait a second, these must all be present events!

The final picture showed Knuckles fighting with a large bird-like creature. The bird was almost twice his height, with menacing eyes. Knuckles slammed a few jabs forward, but he quickly got thrown back. Another bulky character intervened, stepping in front of Knuckles and fighting the bird himself.

The scenes ended, and she stared in wonder. _'What did it all mean?'_ she asked herself.

The echidna princess turned around, but instantly came face to face with Chaos. The mutant stared down upon her.

She quickly backed away, frightened. "How can I help? I'm not strong like you or Knuckles, nor do I have any special powers. I will be useless down there. Besides, I don't even know where I need to go to!"

Chaos still stared at her. He was speaking to her, though he did not say a word.

Tikal still hesitated, but she said nothing.

Chaos looked at her one final time then dissipated into the ground.

The echidna girl shuddered. _'What can I do?'_ she asked herself.

Tikal crossed her arms and started shivering. The air was cooling. Something was amiss.

**_XXXXX_**

Storm lifted his left hand and slammed Bark away. The polar bear rolled to the right of the albatross, falling onto his face flat. The bulky bird turned to Knuckles again. The echidna was the only one left. Vector had been out the entire time, Rouge was gone, and now Bark fell before him. The black one was already dead, and now it was only down to this.

He slammed his left fist into his right hand. "I've been waiting a long time for this!" he called out.

Knuckles snickered. The echidna watched the albatross approach him. Knuckles lay on his back upon the ground, waiting for the right moment. To his right, the way leading down into the alley was only a foot away. Closer, come on now… closer…

Storm slammed his fists into the ground. He grinned slyly. "The echidna is dead!" he called out.

The next instant, Storm didn't know quite what happened. First, he heard a voice. "Not quite," it called out. Next, he heard a footstep behind him. He turned his head, and then the third instant occurred. He felt pain, and suddenly felt himself lifting up into the air. Well, more like flying. Wait, though, he was a bird, right? Couldn't he fly?

Storm flapped his arms. Unfortunately, gravity didn't see it his way. The albatross fell off the side of the building. He grabbed onto the ledge with his right hand, but then noticed something peculiar. "Uh oh," he stated.

Shadow the Hedgehog was a few feet over, hanging off the ledge as well. He lifted his right hand up, and the albatross saw a ball appear in it. "Miss me?" he asked.

The hedgehog swung himself over and placed his foot onto Storm's shoulder. Using the leverage and momentum, he jumped into the air and landed back on the rooftop. Knuckles stared at him in surprise. "Shadow!" he called out.

"Where are the others?" the hedgehog asked.

Knuckles sighed. He opened his mouth, but suddenly got slammed to the ground from behind. Wave soared passed, flying down below and grabbing Storm along the way.

Shadow spun around, watching Wave fly back up. She flew around the building, out of reach from any attacks. She stopped by the building across the alley again, and Storm picked up his gear. Just then, the black hedgehog heard a noise from behind him. "Boy does my head hurt," the voice proclaimed.

Vector rubbed his head then realized what was going on. "Wait a second, how long was I out?" he asked.

Knuckles jumped to his feet. Hearing Vector's voice, he turned to him. "Too long," he stated.

Jet flew over the building again from around the back side. He was swatting at something, but nothing could be seen. Suddenly, he crashed into the ground and skidded to a stop at Shadow's feet. The hedgehog stared him down. "Nice landing," he said.

The hawk glared at him. "Wh—what?!" he yelled out in surprise.

Espio ran out to the front from behind the stairwell area. Bean came out behind, and Charmy came down from above them. Instantly seeing the hawk on the ground, the bee whooped out. "Woo yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!"

Jet slammed his fists into the ground. Storm jumped down onto the roof again, staring down Knuckles. Wave came in behind, standing between Jet and Storm and the three Chaotix members coming up from behind.

Espio, Charmy, and Vector stood near to the doorway. Vector glared at them, but did not approach. Bark pulled himself off of the ground, and Bean came alongside him. Shadow and Knuckles stood it front.

Jet finally pushed himself off of the ground. "No!" he yelled out. "I shall not lose! With me and my queen, we will begin a new dynasty of Babylon Rogues!" the hawk cackled out loud.

Wave turned and slapped the hawk in the back. "You and your stupid little dreams, Jet. That is why we never succeed in getting anything of value! That girl doesn't even like you, let alone love you."

Espio stared the female bird down. "So you do have Hannah," he stated.

Wave glared at the chameleon. "So what is it to you?" she asked.

"We're here to rescue her!" Vector called out.

Jet spun around and pushed Wave aside, glaring at Vector. "You imbecile! Hannah's mine, you can't take her away from me!"

Storm scratched his forehead. Wave glanced at him. "What's wrong, Storm?"

The albatross had just remembered something. "You know, I think I left Hannah's gear in her cell on accident. Perhaps I should've been--"

Wave slammed Storm to the ground. "You idiot, she's probably miles away by now!"

Shadow grinned. "Looks like you've made a miscalculation," he proclaimed.

Wave snarled. "Omega, attack!" she cried out.

The thought-to-be deactivated robot stood up. Its eyes turned red, and it stared at them all. **"Prepare to be annihilated,"** it stated.

**_XXXXX_**

Flame shot forward, slicing past Ultima. The hedgehog quickly slipped aside and kicked the echidna in the back. Flame collapsed onto the ground, but wasted no time. He rolled out of the way just as a knife slammed into the pavement. It did not break, but it did get caught in the ground.

Flame rolled forward, placing his hands on the ground. Using the momentum, he flipped up into the air and landed on his feet. The echidna spun around and put his sword up just as Ultima slammed the knife onto the blade. Flame had no warning, so the knife slammed into the blunt side of the blade.

Ultima pushed the echidna back, but then he heard a noise on his right. He turned and saw a brown mole come out of the door.

The mole walked out, stating something. "Kid, your room is--" a dagger hit the door. The mole glanced up and saw the commotion. "Ah!" he screamed, rushing back inside and slamming the door shut.

The mercenary still held his grip on the knife. He had wasted one of his daggers, but luckily he had stocked up. He normally didn't do this, but this was an desperate measure.

Ultima flipped backwards three times then whipped out another dagger using his right hand. He quickly darted it at Flame, and then grabbed his pistol back out again.

Flame used his sword to deflect dagger, sending it shooting add the door alongside the previous one. He turned back, watching as Ultima pulled the trigger. He had no time to move out of the way. The bullet shot, flying towards Flame at one hundred twenty miles per hour. In second, the shot hit home… but he felt no pain.

A swift figure came flying through, riding an Extreme Gear board. The board flew in the way of the shot, deflecting the attack but damaging the board at the same time. The rider was quite magnificent, though, and glided through along its decent. The board crashed into Ultima, and the mercenary collapsed into the ground.

The rider jumped off immediately before hand, landing majestically upon the ground. Flame stared at the _'woman'_ before his eyes in disbelief. "Y-you're Hannah Swift!"

**_XXXXX_**

Jet darted between Vector and Espio, evading the blockade and grabbing his gear. Wave triggered a button with her hand and jumped off the side of the building, landing directly onto her Type J gear. Storm slammed through Bean and Bark, grabbing his gear and taking to the skies, leaving everyone stunned.

Instantly they jumped into action when Omega fired. Shadow jumped into the air, and Knuckles jumped off the edge and used his dreadlocks to "glide" through the air, landing on a stairwell across the alley. Bark ducked to the ground, and Bean jumped up into the air, using his wings to fly. The duck threw a few bombs at Omega, causing the robot to stagger.

Bark immediately darted toward the robot, slamming his fists into its heavy armor. Omega pushed him back, firing a few missiles. Bark rolled out of the way, and Vector quickly replaced him. Vector slammed his fist into Omega. Shadow used this distraction to jump up and land behind the robot. He deactivated the robot's central power unit, and then opened up the control unit on the android's back. However, he was grabbed from behind by an unseen force.

Shadow was thrown against the building across the alleyway again, immediately noticing Storm come flying downwards toward him. The black hedgehog failed not to take action, jumping down off of the scaffold and falling to the next level. He watched as the bird crashed into the wall, then chuckled slightly to himself. He climbed back up the stairwell and turned the albatross over. After the beating Storm received that night, he was in absolutely no condition to move.

When everything started, Espio immediately ran over to the edge and watched Wave fly up from below. She charged straight at him, but he wasn't so stupid. He dodged her attack then grabbed onto her Type W board from behind. Still going at a fast momentum, Wave flew up and landed on top of the stairwell entrance. Espio followed her, jumping up onto a small ledge along the side, then climbing up on top.

Knuckles glided back to the hotel building, digging his knuckles into the wall. The echidna climbed up the wall, then pulled himself on top. Immediately he was grabbed by Jet, whom came flying down in front of him. He could do absolutely nothing as Jet flung him across the street, crashing into a wall. Knuckles collapsed onto a balcony, rubbing his head of the pains.

Wave tried to push herself off of the ground, but it was no use—she was too weak from all the fighting before. She glanced up, seeing Espio stand above her. The chameleon got down onto his knees. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

She sneered. "What kind of question is that, you imbecile?!" she yelled out. "You just threw me into the ground, and now you're going to ask if 'I'm hurt'?"

The chameleon sighed. He looked upon her wounded figure, feeling guilty. "I'm… sorry…" he muttered.

Wave managed to sit up, turning her head away from the chameleon. "I thought you were against me," she stated.

Espio sighed. "I thought I was, too. I'm beginning to have doubts about this entire thing, though."

Wave suddenly turned to him. He merely stared at the ground, but she could sense something else. Wait, now… what was this feeling lurking into her mind? …love? Is that what she felt? But… for him?

Her face turned red. She quickly turned away. Neither spoke.

Knuckles pulled himself up, then glanced around. Suddenly, he saw something. "Wha—no way!" he yelled out.

Nearby, over to his left, a figure lay. It was female with white fur, wearing purple clothes and having purple wings. It was a bat.

"Rouge." He quickly darted to his feet and jumped over to where she was. He climbed over the edge of the balcony, having not made the jump properly. Finally, Knuckles knelt down beside her, tears forming in his eyes. "Rouge!!!" he yelled out loud toward the night sky.

**_XXXXX_**

The cat stared at the screen. She yawned, but despite her weariness, she kept on working. Not much had come up, yet. All she was able to find were hints and speculations, but not anything was all that sinister. This 'Timothy James Barrington' sure was one tough cookie to crack. He had actually a lot of stuff on file, but nothing had ever been proven. Even so, none of it matched up with the case at hand.

She moved the cursor over to the '2' link in order to view the next page, but suddenly something caught her eye. "No, wait!" she called out. It was too late, though. The next page was already loading. Janelle cursed under her breath. This was not what she had in mind. She quickly pressed the "Back" button, and then scrolled down to the section she was reading.

Janelle examined the text, reading it out loud. "Barrington has been charged with a number of things in the past. Most recently, he was charged of the murder of his own wife. The source of the information, his secretary Darlene Porter, said that she found files stored in Barrington's office which proves he called the execution of his wife. She further explained that it was a letter addressed from someone by the name of Ultima, with him stating that "the deed was done." However, the said files have never been found on hand, and no evidence has been found that links Barrington to the events."

She stopped to think it over. Well, this was an interesting little tidbit. How would it link, though? She glanced back at the page, then noticed a startling conclusion. _'This event occurred less than two days ago!'_ she told herself.

Janelle quickly thought through what the crocodile had said. She quickly looked up the name 'Ultima' in the database. The first listing was 'Ultima the Hedgehog.' She clicked on it.

She examined the information, startled. This guy sure had been around. He was originally a GUN soldier, but turned mercenary? In fact, his father was a respected agent for the organization, but he… died? The article further detailed that Ultima had always been a renegade to begin with. His father simply kept a tight control around him. Once he was killed in the field, though, the hedgehog followed his own path.

This was no use. She quickly scrolled down to felonies. She scrolled to the bottom, finding the latest entries. "Evidence points to Ultima as having attempted murder on a civilian in the Mystic Ruins. Evidence points to it being a cover up for some actions nearby, but nothing can be told, yet. Ultima escaped when his headquarters hidden in the mountainside was infiltrated by a group of detectives, but his culprit, Fang the Sniper, was captured and imprison. A group of notorious thieves known as the 'Babylon Rogues' were also related to the incidents, but they escaped from prison while being transferred by two GUN agents. Ultima has not been seen since."

Janelle stared at the information, stunned. This occurred only just after the other information was said to have happened! Perhaps this civilian had caught Ultima in the act of disposing of the evidence, then the mercenary sought to kill him? Wait a second… this is the same civilian Vector talked about! It was that echidna what's-his-name, uh… Flame! Yeah, that was it.

Suddenly, it all came to her. She knew exactly how everything fit together! It was still inconclusive, as the proof still needed to be found, but it was quite clear why Hannah was kidnapped, now, and why all these dealings have been going on. Now only to prove it… Janelle slammed her head into the desk. This would be the hardest task she'd yet found.


	8. One Chance

**Team Chaotix – On the News**

**_Chapter 8 – One Chance_**

Jet the Hawk came flying back onto the scene. Storm was down, Omega was already conquered, and Wave was out, as well. He was all that was left, now! At least that stupid echidna was out of the way.

He soared through the sky, watching Vector, Bark, Bean, and Charmy get together. He smiled broadly. The hawk came down down from over atop from behind the building, smashing his gear into the four of them. Every last one of them, save for Charmy, collapsed onto the ground. Charmy had quickly flown out of the way, but was unable to get the message to the others.

Shadow quickly jumped back over from across the alleyway, quickly rushing over to them. Vector sat up, rubbing his head. "Yow, I've never had such a headache before," he proclaimed.

Charmy looked up, pointing with his finger. "Watch out, here he comes again!" the bee called out.

Bean and Bark dived right, Vector and Shadow dived left, and Charmy simply flew out of the way. Shadow gritted his teeth.

Bark pushed himself. "It seems that he hasn't given up yet. All of his comrades have been defeated, but he's still persistent."

Vector nodded in reply. "He must want to keep Hannah all for himself. That was clearly obvious to me. He didn't care about the money, Jet just wanted the girl."

Shadow slammed his right fist into the palm of his left hand. "Well, then, we'd best finish him off."

The hedgehog turned to Bean, whom was still on the ground, and then Charmy, whom was hovering in the air. "You two distract him," he stated. Shadow then turned to Vector and Bark. "You two, defend me while I try and reprogram Omega, again. He'll be our ticket out of here."

Vector chuckled, putting a thumb up. "That sounds like a great plan," he stated.

Shadow nodded. He began to move swiftly, but then, two figures ran out in front of them. Wait a second, wasn't that Wave?!

The swallow rushed forward, Espio tailing behind. She watched her leader come back down. "Jet, get down here right now!" she lashed out, angrily. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Jet lowered himself down, evening himself with the rooftop. "What has gotten into you? I thought we all agreed on this together," he proclaimed.

Wave snarled. "Jet, this was never about the money. You never wanted it, and at this point, I could care less if we ever get it. Right now, you must realize that this is wrong. We were only helping to further his cause, _his_ agenda. Do you even know what he had done in the past?!"

The female bird paused for a moment, allowing Jet to think over what was said. Then, she answered without him being able to reply. "That guy is a murderer! He ordered the killing of his _own wife_ because she 'knew' too much. You always jump into things without even knowing the details! Our previous employer was even the one that--"

Vector stared ahead in disbelief. "It's all come together now!" he yelled out loud.

Everyone glared at him, surprised and bewildered. The crocodile grinned slyly. "I've figured out the case," he stated.

**_XXXXX_**

_Barrington's wife must have stumbled upon some information about his dealings. Somehow, some way, she managed to get hold of the information. When learning of this, Barrington took drastic actions. Learning of a well-kept, yet very secret mercenary, he decided to assign him as an assassin. Wave's final statement seems to state exactly what I'm saying—Ultima was the mercenary assigned to the task._

_After a successful mission, he took the body into the mountains and disposed of it—taking her into a cave and tossing her into the lava flow inside Mt. Sahara, near the Mystic Ruins area. The echidna Flame must've somehow ended up there at the exact same time that Ultima was inside. Learning of this, he attacked, but collapsed in the forest a few miles away._

_Ultima quickly found out about Charmy's finding and GUN's information on the case. For this reasoning, he hired the Babylon Rogues to take us out. However, we overcame them and found his base—containing stolen GUN technology. Ultima escaped._

_Having blown his cover, he begrudgingly returned to Future City. At the same time, Flame had escaped to Future City, as well. Hannah found out about the echidna's dealings, and started to bash him on live T.V. This led to a whole new set of problems, as now Flame had been subject to the press, and Ultima was already known about the dealings in the United Federation._

_When Barrington learned of the news, he went and hired the Rogues himself, having them kidnap Hannah to get her out of the way. Jet's little romancy situation may have led somewhat into it, as well. The high payment alone, though, was enough to get them to take the job._

_Hannah was captured, and expected to either be killed or never released, leaving Flame completely out of the picture. Now that no eyes were on him, anymore, taking him out would be all the easier. With Flame gone, and the only witness to him—Hannah—also gone, then no one would even notice his absence, as no one even knew he was there. Barrington's plot was set._

**_XXXXX_**_  
_

Shadow clapped his hands together. "Bravo. You solved the case," he proclaimed. Then, motioning towards Jet, he added, "So, now what are we going to do with them?"

Wave glanced back at Shadow, sighing. "You guys leave everything to me. I'm through with this, anyway."

Jet gritted his teeth, curling his hand into a tight fist. "NO!" he yelled out.

The hawk quickly darted forward. He slammed the bottom of his board into Wave, knocking her back through the air. Espio immediately caught her by the arms and the two watched Jet soar ahead.

Across the street, Knuckles slipped one arm under Rouge's neck. He then took his other arm and slipped it under her leg, right below the knees. He turned back to the street and repositioned himself, slipped the bat over his shoulder. Now ready, he pushed himself off, trying his best to glide back across with the extra weight.

His right hand forward, the echidna slammed into the third floor of the Dynasty hotel. He hung from the wall, Rouge barely staying over his shoulder. Not giving up, the echidna lifted his left hand up. He dug it into the wall, and then used his right hand. After a few rotations, he finally placed his right hand on the rooftop.

Knuckles pulled his head up over the top, and then…

The echidna was instantly slammed in the face.

His body turned backwards in midair, quickly ending up in a downward dive, headfirst into the ground.

The echidna shook his head, then quickly saw Rouge just below him. She was falling. She did not scream. She did not try to even move. Could she already be…?

He narrowed his eyes. No, it wasn't true!

Knuckles put his fists toward the ground. The cars below stopped, and onlookers watched as the two plummeted to their doom.

Going into a dive, Knuckles sped up. He approached Rouge, grabbing her as he fell. Then, he let his dreadlocks flow. Immediately they caught the airflow, allowing the echidna to land safely upon the ground.

Jet grimaced at the echidna's safe landing. He looked back at the rooftop. Shadow, Bean, Bark, Vector, Charmy, Wave, and Espio, in that order from right to left, lined up along the edge. Wave aimed her finger at him. "This is over, Jet!" she yelled out.

Jet snarled. _'I will not be beaten! My dreams shall come--'_

A figure descended in the distant. Orange in color and female, she floated down safely. Seeing the group their, she suddenly realized that something must be going on. She descended feet first toward the rooftop. Jet grinned, slyly.

He immediately darted forward. Everyone turned around to see what he was looking at, only to find…

Jet grabbed Tikal out of the middle of the air. He turned around and jumped onto the roof, whipping out a knife and holding it to her throat. "Stand back or she dies!"

Wave snarled. "Jet, let her go! This isn't like you. What the hell are you thinking?!"

Jet chuckled, which then turned into a loud cackle. "I'm thinking exactly what I've been thinking. My dreams shall finally come true! Now, if you guys don't back off, then the little girl feels my little blade in her throat."

Vector sighed. He stepped to the left. Bark himself then stepped to the right, leaving an open passageway for the hawk to get through.

He smiled. "Thanks," he stated. Whispering into Tikal's ear, Jet said something else. "Now come on little girl, we're going for a ride."

Shadow narrowed his eyes. He couldn't just let this happen! Jet was going to get away, and with Tikal as a hostage. He stared at the girl, and she stared at him. Instantly, she changed. Light blue clothes, flowing golden hair, deep blue eyes…

'_Save her, Shadow…'_ the voice echoed.

Jet cackled, staring over each of the six people before him. Wave, Espio, Charmy, and Vector were on the right. They kept to the side, with Bean and Bark on the left, allowing an open passageway. "I thank you all for this pleasant endeavor. Now, though, I must be on my way."

The hawk kicked his gear up in the air with his foot then jumped on it. He put the knife away, but kept a steady grip around Tikal. _'This girl will be my ticket to getting Hannah back!'_ he told himself.

Jet leaned forward, but then suddenly collapsed. He fell face first into the ground, and the others quickly rushed forward. Vector stood in front of him, and the hawk backed away in fear. Something worse was about, though. The crocodile was no longer a threat at all.

He crawled backwards along the ground in a crab-like fashion. "Wave, please, you must understand!" he proclaimed.

Wave was furious. She slammed her foot into Jet's right hand, causing him to cry out in pain. He put his hands out in front of him. "Mercy, mercy!" he cried.

The swallow placed her hands on her hips. "Mercy? Hah! You don't deserve mercy. You threatened to kill someone! What you need is a little time in your room, that's what you need. Why, if your father was here, you'd be in serious trouble!"

Vector and Charmy laughed out loud. "Hah, well, it seems that this case is finished. Now I just need to report the remaining finds back to that Janelle character, and we can be on our way."

Espio walked up alongside Vector to the left, nodding his head. That wasn't what he was thinking about, though. He glanced at Wave and smiled.

Wave heard the chameleon walking up behind, and she turned around. She smiled back, getting stares from Jet, Vector, and Charmy. She approached him. "Uh, hey, er…"

"Espio," the chameleon stated.

Wave cheeks turned red. She glanced away, but quickly regained her cool. "Uh, Espio… would… would you mind if we got together sometime?"

Charmy hovered around in from of Vector, staring at the two. Finally, he burst into laughter. "Ahahaha, Espio's got a girlfriend, Espio's got a--"

The bees laughing and giggling turned into mumbling. Vector slapped his hand across Charmy's mouth. He glanced at Espio, smiling and giving him a thumbs up.

Espio turned back to Wave. "Actually, I wouldn't mind that," he stated.

Shadow carefully placed the echidna girl back onto the ground. He had transported behind Jet and grabbed Tikal, then slammed him into the ground. She was glad to be out of harm's way, now. Despite her sudden appearance, the black hedgehog did not question why she was here. She had her own reasons, he decided.

The echidna girl glanced back at him. Truthfully, she felt… comfortable around him. The black hedgehog merely watched Wave and Espio's little chat, and also Jet's sudden change of mind after seeing them that way. He merely crossed his arms and turned away.

Tikal rushed after him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

The hedgehog walked to the corner of the rooftop, returning to where he left off before. The girl's stubborn persistence annoyed him, but he let her tag along. "I'm trying to get Omega back online," he stated.

She looked up in surprise upon seeing Shadow get behind a large robot. He flipped open a small compartment and pressed a few… things. After a short bit, a noise erupted from the android. Omega's eyes lit up, and Shadow shut the compartment again.

He glanced at the robot. "How you feeling, Omega?"

"**Where am I?"** the robot asked.

"You are right where you were," Shadow stated. "Somehow Wave managed to gain access to an override code, taking complete control over you. I've now deleted it and also all access to the code. No one should be able to hack into your systems by that method again."

Omega lifted himself up, then turned to his right. There, he saw the most peculiar creature.

Tikal backed up in surprise as the thing, known as a 'robot,' lifted its claw up and pointed at her. **"Who is she?"** the robot asked.

Shadow turned to the echidna princess, and immediately his face turned red. _'What am I doing?!'_ he asked himself.

The roof door slammed open, and Knuckles walked out. Hanging onto his shoulder, Rouge carefully limped her way along the ground. She dashed over and caught her, and suddenly Tikal's heart emptied. Wait, what…? Shouldn't she be happen that Knuckles was alright? What was going on here?

Despite her feelings, she rushed over to the echidna. "Knuckles, you're okay!" she proclaimed.

The echidna shrugged his shoulders in bewilderment. "Tikal, what are you doing here?" he asked.

She smiled. "The exact same reason you are—following my heart."

Tikal glanced over to the left, staring at the black hedgehog. Knuckles watched where she was looking, and suddenly came to the strangest conclusion he ever thought he'd find.

Bean patted his friend on the back. "Oh, don't you just love happy endings?" he asked.

Bark glared at him. He pushed the duck away. "The only happy ending I'll ever find is getting away from you!"

Storm landed next to Jet, glancing around. "Oh, is it over?" he asked.

Jet slapped his hand across his forehead. "Oh, just shut up!"

The albatross glanced over at Wave, curiously. "What's up with her?" he asked.

The hawk stared at her in disbelief. Instantly, Hannah was the last thing on his mind. _'So, they've got it in for each other, 'eh? No matter, I'll just win her myself,' _he told himself.

Jet jumped to his feet. "Storm, Wave, let's get going. We've got treasure to find!"

Wave nodded. She gripped Espio's wrist tightly, then allowed it to slip out of her hands. She ran over and grabbed her gear, then joined back with the other two. "No more mysterious clients?" she asked.

Jet nodded. "Nope. The Rogues are back to thieving! I'm tired of these masquerades myself."

The three of them shot away, but glanced back at the others down below. He glared at Espio, but nodded back at Vector. _'You guys haven't seen the last of me. I promise you, I'll be back!'_ he stated in his mind.

The three of them raced off into the horizon, leaving the city and everything else behind.

**_XXXXX_**

Flame stared at the eagle in bewilderment. "What in the world are you doing here?!" he called out.

Hannah turned and glanced up at him. Her feathers were a light brown color, tinted slightly with a golden color. Around her head, Hannah's feathers frilled at the edges, but seeped further down around the back. Her feathers around her head all frilled downward, as well, styled as normal hair. Hanging from these at the sides of her head, two jeweled chains hung. Both contained first a small ruby, then at the bottom, a slightly larger diamond.

Hannah had deep, green eyes, an obvious orange beak as all birds did, but also a pair of glass covering her eyes. Clearly her eyesight wasn't as well as it should. Her clothes draped over her body loosely, but still tight enough to keep them from falling. They were a light orangish-tan color. Her shirt sleeves draped over her hands in a baggy fashion, with her pant legs doing the same.

The eagle girl raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Flame, I presume. You look rather stunning today. Or, well, perhaps I should say 'stunned,'" she proclaimed, laughing out at that last part.

Flame gritted his teeth. "But you were held captured by--"

"Those three fools…?" Hannah interrupted, completing his statement for him. "Well, what do you think I did? I escaped. Now if you'll excuse me, I really must be going. You're just lucky I heard about this in time. I never really liked you much in the first placed, but hey, I couldn't just let you get yourself killed, right?"

Flame sneered, but a noise put him off. Both of them glanced back, seeing Ultima push himself up. He immediately aimed his pistol at Hannah, but whipping out a dagger and poising it at Flame. "Don't move an inch," he stated.

Hannah opened her eyes wide. Well, so much for that. She left the frying pan but leaped directly in to the fire.

Ultima stepped forward, kicking the board aside. "Now," he stated, "I've got you both right where I want you. I knew that those foolish thieves couldn't keep you under lock and key. I can now turn both your heads in and reap my reward."

Flame grimaced. This didn't look good. He grasped his fist tightly. Then, though, his had began to feel hot. What…? No way! Was his anger causing it? He let it lay back down, and the flames dissipated.

The mercenary suddenly stopped. He lifted his head into the air. "What's this?" he asked.

Hannah glanced up in surprise. "What's what?"

Ultima sniffed the air. He turned back to the reporter. "You truly cannot smell that? This disgusting odor? Surely you jest. It smells to me liking burning sulfur, yet there's nothing around." He sniffed the air again. Something didn't feel right here.

He nodded to himself. "This smell reminds me of something. I truly hate heat, but I had do something. One of the mountains east of here is an active volcano. It's not very large, but it is filled with such intense heat…" Ultima slowly turned his head from Hannah over to Flame. He finished his statement by saying, "…and, of course, such smells."

Hannah swung her head over to Flame. "What in the world is he talking about?" she asked.

Ultima watched Flame get tense. He slowly approached. "Oh yes, of course! I now know the whole truth. You must've plucked that blade out of that chamber. I noticed it early, but never found anything significant. However, the intense heat caused by the friction in removing it, mixed with the minerals used to create that blade, it distorted time, sending you into the distant future. When you came out, the heat signatures merged with you due to the mineral, cursing you with your flames. It makes so much sense, now."

Flame couldn't take it anymore. His blood boiled, and his anger lashed out. He dashed forward, slicing his sword down upon the mercenary. Ultima dodged, kicking the echidna to the ground. Flame sliced his sword across, and as he did so, a beam shot out. Ultima ducked to the side, shooting his weapon at the echidna's leg.

"Ah, so you've only just proven it to me," he stated. "Your blade is created of a mineral named 'vulcan.' This mineral is commonly used in various weaponry, but never had such an extravagant usage before. Or, at least, what we know of recorded history. The makers of that blade must've known that the mineral is powerful, but they probably didn't know just how powerful it was. Such a thing can easily be recreated through modern technology quite easily."

Hannah stared at the hedgehog in surprise. "How do you know all of this?!" she cried out.

Ultima turned back to her. "Why, of course, young lady. I know everything. I especially know a lot about this weaponry, for GUN is a heavy developer of vulcanized weapons. I should know this, for after all, I did work for them."

Hannah backed away in surprise after hearing this stunning statement. Could GUN have actually hired such a fiend?! Why would they do that, though, weren't they the protectors?

Suddenly, she fell into even greater surprise. Ultima was suddenly shot into the wall by a blast of fire. She glanced over and noticed Flame standing up. His legs were doused in fire, as were his hands. The echidna's eyes showed fire within them. He dashed across the alley and grabbed the mercenary hedgehog by the neck. He spun around and tossed him away, blasting him with another fire ball.

Ultima crashed into the other wall, falling onto the ground. The echidna still persisted. He reached his hand out, and…

Hannah cried out in pain. Flame felt a hand grasp around his left arm. She was trying to stop him!

Flame stopped. He fell to his knees, feeling the true terror of what just happened. Hannah ripped her own hand back, knowing that she had done something she never thought she would ever do. Even after her kidnapping, she was still the same old Hannah everyone knew and loved. Yet, this changed something. She didn't feel like going the same way any longer.

She ran over to the echidna. "Flame, are you alright?" she asked.

The echidna gritted his teeth. "What did I just do?" he asked in reply.

Hannah said nothing. That was exactly what he had been afraid of.

He jumped to his feet and ran to Ultima, grabbing onto the hedgehog's wrist. "He's alive," Flame stated.

Hannah walked over, and then jumped back. Ultima glared up at them, surprised. "Why… do you not finish me off… right now?" he asked.

Flame nodded to himself. "Because it's not right," he said.

"Despite… what I have done?" the hedgehog added.

"Of course," Hannah stated. "You weren't going to last much longer under Barrington's thumb, were you?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Of course not. You were on the verge of death yourself. Barrington is still onto us, and now we've all been dragged in together. Maybe instead of fighting, we should work together… or at least until Barrington has been taken care of."

Flame glanced up at her. "What are you saying?" he asked.

She smiled. Ultima pushed himself up, glaring at her himself. "I'm saying that we need to join together. Unite in one team, and taking one last stand against Barrington… one last chance for us to re-achieve a state of normalcy."

The echidna muttered over the words. "One last chance..."

_Just one chance..._

Janelle gathered up a few papers lying on the floor. The events had been laid out, and the evidence presented. With all available evidence already presented, Timothy James Barrington was found guilty of murder in the second degree, and for countless other crimes in the past. Ultima and the Babylon Rogues, after laying out their own evidences, were given a complete pardon… this time around. 

After the events, Barrington escaped with the help of an unknown suitor, leading some to believe that someone higher than even he had been watching over the situation. Bean, Bark, and Omega were sent to chase him down. Meanwhile, Shadow and Rouge were sent to Westopolis for some recent happenings that occurred their.

Due to Barrington's escape, Hannah Swift was placed under a witness protection program and received time off for her job. With complete and total funding from her family, she was moved into a countryside mansion a few miles out of the city. There, she met up with Flame and Ultima, attempting to come up with plans for a method of putting down Barrington's plots.

At the same time, Flame had found his own liking. He began his own life, helping solve mysteries in the northern part of Future City. He also starting hanging out with a girl whom used to live nearby, that no lived in a foster home in Metal City—the industrial central area of the city.

The Chaotix detectives—Vector, Espio, and Charmy, received a heavy award for their help on the case. Returning to the United Federation, they sold the old dump they had and bought a nicer and larger place in Central City. They planned on hiring a couple more members, but were waiting for the right moment.

Knuckles and Tikal returned to Angel Island. However, they never kept their minds off of Rouge and Shadow. Knuckles and Rouge learned of Shadow's little scenario earlier, and were a little mad about it. However, they decided to go, anyway. Tikal's mind remained on the black hedgehog, thinking that perhaps she could find a way to knock down the barrier that has kept his heart concealed for so very long. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to crack it…

Ultima still kept his dark side. He never turned away from his old ways, but he merely decided to aid Flame and Hannah in taking out Barrington. Afterwards, he fully intending on leaving without warning. Hannah tried talking with him, attempting to change his mind, but never succeeded in doing so.

Janelle… well, she herself had her own plans. She decided to use her knowledge to help Hannah, Flame, and Ultima track down Barrington and figure out all the remaining unknown details. The project was labeled 'Last Chance,' in attempts to once and for all stop Barrington. Before that, though, she decided to help Hannah move out.

She held up the pile of paper she grabbed off the ground. "Where should this go?" the cat asked.

Hannah reached up into a tall bookcase and pulled down the remaining few, sticking them into a box. She turned back to Janelle. "Uh, go put that in the file cabinet in the corner," she stated.

Janelle turned around and saw it. A wooden filing cabinet made out of red oak. She opened the second drawer and stuffed the paper in. She slammed the door shut, but then suddenly a CD fell off of it. She quickly reached out and grabbed it before it hit the floor. She stared at it in horror. _'What the heck does this girl listen to…?'_ she asked herself.

She glanced on top of the cabinet and found a few more. She listened to angst rock music? Janelle turned around. "Uh, Hannah?"

The eagle walked up to her, staring at the music. Finally, she grabbed it and walked away. A trash bin lay in the center of the room, ready whenever it was needed. Hannah tossed the CD's in. She turned back around. "Do the same if you find anymore."

Janelle raised an eyebrow, and then smiled.


End file.
